US: The Launch Of A New Organization Tackling Popcorn Lung

Source from:  Vaping Post 07/26/2019

A new organization called the American Popcorn Lung Association (APLA), was launched in order to tackle the serious lung condition amongst young people.

“Popcorn lung” is the popular name for Bronchitis obliterans, a chronic lung disease linked to various air pollutants. One chemical it’s been speculatively linked with is diacetyl, a naturally occurring fermentation product found in butter, red wine and various other foods. It’s also used as flavouring in some e-liquids, and while diacetyl is safe to ingest there’s some evidence it may not be safe to inhale.

Only a handful of cases of popcorn lung have been linked to diacetyl consumption, and all but one of these were among workers at a single popcorn plant, hence the name. There has been speculation that vaping with diacetyl-containing liquids could cause popcorn lung, but this is not taken seriously by credible researchers.

Cigarette smoke contains diacetyl at levels hundreds to thousands of times higher than any e-liquid, but there has never been a single case of popcorn lung linked to smoking. It’s also a disease that takes years of exposure to develop, so experts find the idea that anyone could get “instant popcorn lung” from vaping simply absurd.

Prompted by statements from anti-tobacco groups throughout the US that vaping causes popcorn lung, the APLA said it aims to tackle the alleged epidemic amongst young people. Meanwhile, points out public health expert Dr. Michael Siegel on his blog page, “despite the presence of electronic cigarettes on the U.S. market for 13 years and despite the fact that there are literally millions of vapers, there has never been a confirmed case of popcorn lung occurring in a vaper.”

Siegel added that the annual incidence of popcorn lung amongst vapers between 2007 and 2018 was 0.0 per 100,000, and the current prevalence of popcorn lung among current (past month) vapers (as of the end of 2018) was still 0.0%.

Despite these figures, the APLA is striving to discourage smokers to quit by switching to vaping, wrongly stating that individuals who vape are at a severe risk of developing popcorn lung.  Enditem