Popcorn Lung: The Biggest Lie About Vaping Ever Told

I’ve written extensively about a recent health scare in the US that was dubbed “the vaping lung disease” by the media. And, despite the fact that several investigations (including this one from the CDC) have concluded that the cause of all this are tainted THC cartridges, we’re still seeing bombastic headlines that scream that “vaping is killing people,” while burying the important facts (like the one that this is not about nicotine vaping at all) in the body of their articles. Here’s one from the New York Times:

Today, we know that the afflicted in these cases suffered from something called lipoid pneumonia – a debilitating lung condition caused by the oils that are present in those illegal THC cartridges. But, this hasn’t stopped sensationalist anti-vapers from reviving another debunked health scare that was attributed to vaping – popcorn lung.

Here’s an example from the Heatlh.com magazine:

This was published in September of 2019, years after the connection between popcorn lung and vaping has been discredited by reputable scientists and doctors. These types of half-truths and misinformation are already muddying the conversations around vaping – in the last month or so, I’ve heard numerous non(vapers) conflate the two issues and say that “popcorn lung caused by vaping” is what made vapers sick this summer.

This is simply not true and I want to help set the record straight. That’s why, in this post, I’ll explain exactly what popcorn lung is, why vaping is unlikely to cause popcorn lung, and just what the heck is that diacetyl that everyone is talking about.

Let’s get right into it!

What is Popcorn Lung?

Popcorn lung, or to use the scientific term obliterative bronchiolitis (bronchiolitis obliterans), is a serious medical condition that impedes breathing and is potentially fatal.

The name “popcorn lung” became common in 2002, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found 8 cases of acute respiratory failure in people who worked in a Missouri popcorn factory. The cause of it was a chemical called diacetyl which was used in the process of making popcorn. The case was all over the news so much at the time that most people still aren’t aware of the fact that diacetyl is just one of the things that can cause popcorn lung (and it’s not even that common).

Obliterative bronchiolitis damages the smallest airways in the lungs, which are called bronchioles. Due to inflammation, these airways become scarred, and their capacity to process oxygen and transfer it into the blood diminishes greatly and rapidly.

Common causes of popcorn lung are:

• Breathing in toxic fumes,

• Respiratory infections,

• Connective tissue disorders, and

• Complications following lung or bone marrow transplant. 

It’s important to note here that popcorn lung is NOT common in the general population. It’s rare for a person to suffer from this disease unless they’ve had an underlying pulmonary condition in the past. In fact, there have been ZERO confirmed cases in which healthy vapers were diagnosed with popcorn lung. That’s right – zero!

Popcorn lung symptoms are progressive, meaning that they worsen as time goes by. What starts as coughing and wheezing soon develops in complete inability to breathe. This happens quickly, over the course of several weeks, and the general symptoms include:

• Coughing,

• Wheezing,

• Shortness of breath,

• Feeling tired.

Unfortunately, the prognosis for popcorn lung is rather poor. The disease cannot be reversed, it can only be slowed down. The only effective treatment for it is a lung transplant, and even that might not be a long-term solution. Close to 65% of lung transplant patients develop obliterative bronchiolitis within 5 years of the procedure.

Why Was Vaping Connected to Popcorn Lung?

Remember the chemical diacetyl mentioned in the story about those popcorn factory workers?

It turns out that some e-liquids actually do contain it, especially those with a buttery or fruity flavor.

This was a known-fact well before it was widely publicised sometime in 2014 in an effort to damage the vaping movement. In 2014, Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos, a prominent researcher of the effects that vaping has on the health, published a paper on this and stated that diacetyl and other diketones (the name for this group of flavorings) are all avoidable risks and should not be used. 

There was a lot of discussion about it in the community, and most e-juice manufacturers listened to these concerns and stopped using diacetyl. Not all did, however, so there’s still risk that some vape juices out there contain flavorings that have trace amounts of diacetyl and other diketones. 

Of course, I’m all in favor of banning the use of diacetyl in vape juices. In fact, this has already been done in the European Union thanks to the Tobacco Products Directive. The US is still lagging on this front but a vast majority of vape juice manufacturers are listening to the community and avoiding the use of diacetyl and other controversial flavorings and colorings.

Can Vaping Cause Popcorn Lung?

No – vaping does NOT cause popcorn lung!

That’s about as succinct that I can get with it.

Despite alarmist headlines, there hasn’t been a single case reported where it was determined that a vaper has contracted popcorn lung thanks to vaping.

If you don’t believe me, take it from a well-respected UK cancer research group, CancerResearch.uk:

In fact, both Cancer Research UK and National Health Services UK urge people to quit smoking if they want to improve their health, and to use e-cigarettes to do so if they’re not having success with other cessation methods.

The thing is, even though some vape juices do (or did in the past) contain diacetyl, we need to consider the dosage. The amount of diacetyl that those popcorn factory workers were exposed to was immense – they stirred it in industrial-size vats and used gallons of the stuff on a daily basis. Compared to that, the amount of diacetyl in vape juices is almost negligible.

Here’s some food for thought – regular tobacco cigarettes contain at least a 100 times more diacetyl than any tested vape juice. 

Still, there’s no media outrage about it. And, more importantly, cigarette smokers are not falling over with acute cases of popcorn lung on every corner. That’s because even at that increased concentration that is found in regular tobacco, diacetyl is not that dangerous. Sure, it would be better if it wasn’t in there but chances are that it won’t kill you if you smoke. Plenty of other things will, like emphysema and COPD so it’s still better to steer clear of smoking.

Should I Continue to Vape?

If vaping is helping you stay off tobacco then yes, you should continue vaping!

Popcorn lung is not caused by vaping. It’s not even caused by smoking, even though cigarettes contain much more diacetyl than those rare vape juices that still use it as an ingredient. The popcorn lung sensationalism is down to misinformation and to a deliberate attempt by mass media, Big Tobacco and Big Pharma to demonize vaping. If you’re a smoker, you’ll be much better off if you switch to vapes. If you’re a vaper – don’t let scaremongering scare you off from using e-cigarettes as a cessation method that actually works!

If you have any additional questions about vaping, make sure to contact the Kind Pen team – we’ll be happy to assist you chose a vape device that works for you!