The Vaping Industry and The Mystery Lung Condition

The Vaping Industry and The Mystery Lung Condition

Recently,
there have been reports of a small group of vapers being admitted to hospital
with a lung condition not dissimilar to pulmonary disease. There has even been
one reported death possibly linked to vaping. Information is still sketchy, but
it seems these vapers are largely teens and those in their early 20s and all
are located in the U.S. But is vaping actually to blame and should the vaping
industry be worried about this mystery lung condition? We look at the facts we
know so far in this article.

According to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the U.S., there have been 215
cases of the mystery lung illness in 25 states. Though the cause is yet to be
confirmed, all cases have a history of vaping. There seems to be no evidence of
an infectious disease but many of the patients have reported using e-cigarette
products with liquids that contain tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC), the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis.

Though further details are yet to emerge, it seems vaping THC is the
likely cause and many of the patients are unwilling to admit the fact or did
not know what they were vaping. Take this excerpt from an article by The
New York Times as an example:

“An 18-year-old showed up in a Long Island emergency room, gasping for breath, vomiting and dizzy. When a doctor asked if the teenager had been vaping, he said no.

The patient’s older brother, a police officer, was suspicious. He rummaged through the youth’s room and found hidden vials of marijuana for vaping.

“I don’t know where he purchased it. He doesn’t know,” said Dr. Melodi Pirzada, chief paediatric pulmonologist at NYU Winthrop Hospital in Mineola, N.Y., who treated the young man. “Luckily, he survived.“

The article goes on to say:

“Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said he suspected a link to illicit products – perhaps related to ingredients including THC – because the main manufacturers of e-cigarettes had not suddenly altered their ingredients on a wide scale.

“It’s probably something new that has been introduced into the market by an illegal manufacturer, either a new flavor or a new way to emulsify THC that is causing these injuries,” he said.

Always vape TPD
compliant vape juice

There is obviously something happening in the U.S. to a small group
that is not occurring elsewhere. The U.S. has over 10
million adult vapers and the U.K. has over 3
million adult vapers so this group of cases is doing something very
different to everyone else. There seems be a probable link to these people
vaping THC but this has yet to be confirmed. In the interim period, the CDC has
issued the following recommendations to the public while it investigates the cause:

“If you use e-cigarette products, you should not buy these products off the street (for example, e-cigarette products with THC or other cannabinoids).

You should not modify e-cigarette products or add any substances to these products that are not intended by the manufacturer.“

This is all the more reason to only vape Tobacco
Product Directive compliant vape juices. Under the TPD, the following substances are NOT
permitted as ingredients in e-liquids:

• Any ingredient that poses a risk to
  human health in heated or unheated form
• Vitamins or other additives that create the impression that a
  tobacco product has a health benefit or presents reduced health risks
• Caffeine or taurine or other additives and stimulant compounds that
  are associated with energy and vitality
• Additives having colouring properties for emissions
• Additives that have carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic (CMR)
  properties in unburnt form.

From national standards:

• Substances classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic (CMR
  categories 1 and 2)
• Substances classified with specific target organ toxicity for the
  respiratory tract (STOT category 1)
• Respiratory sensitizers
• Vitamins used as food supplements
• Stimulant additives such as caffeine or taurine
• Diacetyl
• Pentane 2,3 dione
• Diethylene glycol
• Ethylene glycol
• Formaldehyde
• Acetaldehyde
• Acrolein
• Metals, including cadmium, chromium, iron, lead, mercury and nickel
• Preservatives liable to release formaldehyde.

Of course, THC is included in the list by default
in countries such as the U.K. where is it illegal to possess, grow, distribute or sell under the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act.

So, if you want to put your mind at ease,
always choose TPD approved
e-liquids when you vape.

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