While some may view vape and e-cigarette devices as safe alternatives to cigarettes, experts warn that users can develop the debilitating condition known as ‘popcorn lung,’ and those with the most severe cases are unlikely to survive.
Bronchiolitis obliterans is the medical term for popcorn lung, which occurs when a person’s lungs become severely scarred as a result of inhaling hazardous chemicals or contracting an infection.
Many users of electronic nicotine delivery systems, such as Juuls, are developing the condition at alarming rates, especially at younger ages when these conditions are uncommon.
Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos, director of the Tobacco Treatment Clinic at Johns Hopkins University, tells DailyMail.com that those with the most severe cases of the disease will likely die within five years from respiratory failure.
In recent weeks, the controversy around these devices has resurfaced with the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to pull Juul products from shelves, before granting the company a temporary respite while it reconsidered its decision.
‘Whether it be vaping, electronic cigarettes, or conventional cigarettes. All of them contain hazardous compounds that exploit the addictive qualities of nicotine,’ Galiatsatos said.
Many companies that promote these products assert that their value resides in the fact that they encourage users of combustible tobacco products, such as cigarettes, to switch to safer alternatives.
Tobacco is inherently hazardous, and cigarettes include numerous additional substances that increase the risk of multiple types of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and other health issues.
According to e-cigarette and vape producers, nicotine is the component that a user will grow addicted to, and removing the other harmful ingredients and allowing a person to consume the drug on its own is safer.
However, some experts are sounding the alarm that this is not the case.
‘You may have heard that smoking electronic cigarettes or vaping is less problematic than other nicotine delivery methods. Dr. Clayton Cowl, a pulmonologist at the Mayo Clinic, told DailyMail.com, “However, it carries its own set of possible health issues.
The concern with many of the newly introduced devices is not simply nicotine, but also other substances that, when aerosolized, can cause major health issues.
He referred to it as “choosing your poison” when describing which deadly equipment a person would choose to employ.
Similar to cigarettes, the primary hazard of these items is not the nicotine itself, but rather the numerous additional compounds added to it.
Diacetyl is a chemical that is frequently used to flavor food. Oral consumption is completely safe.
When inhaled as a vapor, it is exceedingly hazardous to the lungs, and prolonged exposure can result in catastrophic long-term health problems.
Its connection to bronchiolitis obliterans was identified in the early 2000s when employees of a popcorn mill in Missouri suddenly had the ailment.
An examination discovered that the diacetyl used to flavor popcorn was to blame, earning the moniker “popcorn lung.”
Numerous electronic nicotine products utilize diacetyl as a flavoring ingredient.
It is more dangerous than lung cancer, the condition most usually connected with tobacco use, according to Galiatsatos, who added that if you have it, you have a 95% chance of dying within five years.
Those affected by the condition frequently have symptoms comparable to asthma or COPD. Occasionally, chest pain, coughing, and shortness of breath.
The illness occurs when the bronchioles of the lungs become inflamed or damaged, making breathing difficult.
Asthma is typically assumed to be the cause, making diagnosis difficult. Many of the medicines used to treat popcorn lungs are also used to treat asthma.
More severe cases frequently necessitate a lung transplant and may even result in death, particularly if doctors are slow to diagnose the condition.
Galiatsatos is concerned that the medical industry would experience an increase in respiratory problems in the future decades.
These problems take years to develop, but because so many youngsters begin using these harmful devices at such a young age, they may have two decades of lung damage by the time they become 40 – an age considered too young to suffer from such severe conditions.
In recent years, preventing increases in popcorn lung and other illnesses linked to nicotine addiction has become a priority for U.S. officials.
To prevent increases in teen smoking, the FDA banned fruit-flavored e-cigarettes and required companies to submit individual applications to keep their goods on store shelves.
Last month, the FDA denied the application of Juul Labs, whose devices became the face of the harmful underage smoking fad after their meteoric rise in popularity in the 2010s.
However, many individuals who became dependent on these devices were unaware of these dangers.
Alan Holcomb is an attorney who represents individuals who believe Juuls and other products have victimized them.
“Most of our clients were former smokers who were persuaded through advertising and marketing that Juul e-cigarettes were a safe way to smoke,” he told DailyMail.com.
He also warns that many physicians are currently unprepared to deal with an impending crisis, a sentiment with which Galiatsatos concurs.
The majority of lung specialists are unaware of it. It’s a somewhat uncommon lung ailment. Frequently, it is misinterpreted as asthma and COPD. There is also a latency phase with popcorn lung; you may quit smoking and learn years later that the inflammatory process never stopped,’ advises Holcomb.
Before the FDA issued a stay of its judgment, the devices were temporarily removed from shelves to allow the agency time to study additional scientific information.
Galiatsatos believes that these bans are a step in the right direction, but that cultural progress must be made.
The fruit and mint flavor of these devices has enticed children to use them, and while removing them could deter some from taking up the devices, Galiatsatos warns that they have already acquired an air of coolness.
Like cigarettes in previous decades, many young people now consider Juuls to be hip and will continue to use them despite their unpleasantness.
