The truth about ‘Popcorn Lung’
We are aware of the Facebook post circulating with very scary implications that e-cigarettes cause a condition called ‘Popcorn Lung’.
If you haven’t seen it yet, you’re among the few, but here’s a picture of the one going around.
The official term for Popcorn Lung is bronchiolitis obliterans, an uncommon type of lung disease. This is not cancer. It’s a build-up of scar tissue on the lungs that blocks the airflow.
A study was done by Harvard University that found there was a link between popcorn lungs and e-cigarettes.
As a socially responsible vape shop, we always do our research and try to get to the bottom of things so we can provide the best and safest service for our customers and this latest revolution is no different.
So, we went digging, and guess what?
As usual, we found a load of hype with not a lot of backup! So, we thought we would clarify a few things for those of you who are now terrified to vape because of this ridiculous scaremongering.
Firstly, let’s dig a little deeper into what ‘Popcorn Lung’ actually is.
Popcorn Lung was originally discovered when popcorn factory workers started to get sick and the reason for it was because of the chemical diacetyl.
So, some research went on to find out where this chemical can be found and in one study, out of over 7000 vape flavour's that exist in the world, 51 were tested and 47 were found to have the chemical. Let’s be clear. There are over 7000 vape flavours available and 51 of them were tested.
So, of course, 47 out of 51 is an extremely high statistic and the world of social media picked up on this and created this scaremongering hype among users.
What this post doesn’t tell you is that the main chemical (diacetyl) is found in several everyday products and CAN cause this condition if consumed in very high amounts.
It also doesn’t tell you that Diacetyl is BANNED as an ingredient for e-cigarettes and e-liquids in the UK so the ones you are puffing DO NOT contain this chemical.
We need to use a little perspective here. This chemical can be found in small amounts in everyday household products including but not exclusive to, the following.
Cheese
Milk
Yogurt
Whisky
Beer
Wine
Vinegar
Roasted coffee
Processed Tomato Products
Citrus Juices
And of course, popcorn. It’s what gives it its buttery flavour !!!
To go even further into our own research, we have checked the ingredients of all of our products and have pictured a few of our most popular ranges below.
Not one of these products contains the chemical Diacetyl. The most controversial chemical in all of these products is Nicotine.
Now, we are not vouching for every vape shop. We know illegal vapes are being sold both locally and nationally and we cannot say for sure what they contain but that’s a judgment you need to make for yourself.
Please do not get drawn into these scaremongering posts. They are designed for that. To scare you and usually have no medical science behind the allegation.
From us to you, happy (and safe) vaping.