E-Cig Flavorings Marketed To Youth Linked With Lung Disease

Cotton candy, cupcakes, tutti frutti, bubblegum. You’d think we were talking about flavors of candy or ice cream.

Actually, these are all flavorings of juices used to fire up those e-cigarettes a lot of young people are smoking these days.

Here is some more disturbing news.

Researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health tested 51 types of flavored e-cigarettes and refill liquids and found that they have the potential to cause severe lung disease.

Presence of Dangerous Chemicals

For the purpose of this study, researchers looked for chemicals diacetyl, acetoin and 2,3-pentanedione, which have been linked to serious respiratory problems in workers who inhaled artificial butter fumes at microwave popcorn factories.

This disease came to be known as “popcorn lung” disease. Scientists tested for the chemicals by inserting an e-cigarette into a sealed chamber attached to a device that drew air for eight seconds.

They detected the presence of the chemicals in 47 out of 51 flavors tested.

Diacetyl was found in more than 75 percent of flavored electronic cigarettes and refill liquids analyzed as part of the study. Acetoin showed up in 46 e-cigarette and liquid flavors and 2,3-pentanedione was detected in 23 of the flavors.

The flavors that were specifically analyzed by the scientists that came up positive for these deadly chemicals include: Cotton Candy, Tutti Frutti, Cupcake, Fruit Squirts, Waikiki Watermelon, Double Apple Hookah, Blue Water Punch, Oatmeal Cookie and Alien Blood.

Do We Understand the Truth?

Popcorn lung is a respiratory condition, which causes damage and inflammation to the airways that can be fatal. It is also a condition that is irreversible and often leads to the need for a lung transplant.

The manufacturers of e-cigarettes will have us believe that these are harmless products that help us transition away from smoking regular cigarettes. These companies have put e-cigs in the hands of celebrities and spent billions of dollars marketing them specifically to young people.

What’s more, the products are not even regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The fact that our children and teenagers use these products is cause for serious concern. CDC determined through a study that there are currently 2.5 million teen e-cig users. These products are so wildly popular that youth use of e-cigs has surpassed youth cigarette smoking.

They are so accessible and available that even children can buy them online.

As personal injury lawyers who currently represent clients who have been severely harmed by e-cigarette use, we are extremely concerned by this most recent study. These are products that need to be regulated.

We need to get more information out there about the dangers they can pose so consumers can make informed choices.