Study: chemicals in e-cigs linked to lung disease

(by M. Delatorre, KFOR.com) — E-cigarettes [are promoted] as a way to curb the addictive effects of nicotine in regular cigarettes…. But Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has some bad news.

Diacetyl, a flavoring chemical used to make the smoke from your e-cig taste good, is linked to cases of severe respiratory disease. It was found in more than 75 percent of flavored electronic cigarettes and refill liquids tested by researchers at Harvard.

The study was published online in Environmental Health Perspectives on Tuesday, Dec. 8.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)*, as well as the flavoring industry, has warned people against the use of diacetyl because of the link between inhaling the chemical and a disease called bronchiolitis obliterans, otherwise known as “popcorn lung.” [*OSHA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Labor. Its mission is to “assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance.”]

“Recognition of the hazards associated with inhaling flavoring chemicals started with ‘popcorn lung’ over a decade ago. However, diacetyl and other related flavoring chemicals are used in many other flavors beyond butter-flavored popcorn, including fruit flavors, alcohol flavors, and, we learned in our study, candy-flavored e-cigarettes,” said lead author Joseph Allen, assistant professor of exposure assessment sciences.

There are more than 7,000 flavored e-cigarettes and e-juices (nicotine-containing liquid that is used in refillable devices) on the market.

While the popularity of electronic cigarettes continues to increase, there is a “lack of data on their potential health effects,” according to Amy Roeder, with Harvard Chan School Communications.

E-cigs are not currently regulated by the FDA, although the association has recommended including e-cigarettes under their authority to regulate certain tobacco and nicotine-containing products.

In testing 51 leading types of flavored e-cigs and liquids, researchers found varying levels of diacetyl, as well as two other highly hazardous chemicals, acetoin and 2,3-pentanedione.

The Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association lists the two latter chemicals as “high priority,” i.e., they may pose a respiratory hazard in the workplace.

In conducting the study, Roeder says, “Each e-cigarette was inserted into a sealed chamber attached to a lab-built device that drew air through the e-cigarette for eight seconds at a time with a resting period of 15 or 30 second between each draw. The air stream was then analyzed.”

At least one of the three chemicals was detected in 47 of the 51 flavors tested. Diacetyl was detected above the laboratory limit of detection in 39 of the flavors tested. Acetoin and 2,3-pentanedione were detected in 46 and 23 and of the flavors, respectively.

“Since most of the health concerns about e-cigarettes have focused on nicotine, there is still much we do not know about e-cigarettes. In addition to containing varying levels of the addictive substance nicotine, they also contain other cancer-causing chemicals, such as formaldehyde, and as our study shows, flavoring chemicals that can cause lung damage,” said study co-author David Christiani, Elkan Blout Professor of Environmental Genetics.

Other Harvard Chan School authors included Skye Flanigan, Mallory LeBlanc, Jose Vallarino, Piers MacNaughton, and James Stewart.

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