Flavouring found in e-cigarettes linked to 'popcorn lung'

Flavouring found in e-cigarettes linked to 'popcorn lung' "Smokers who use e-cigs 'are risking harm to their lungs'," the Daily Mail reports after US researchers discovered some brands contained diacetyl, a buttery flavouring linked to lung disease in people who worked in microwave popcorn factories.

Two other chemicals linked to lung damage were also found in the cigarette alternatives, calling their safety into question.

Diacetyl was detected in 39 of the 51 flavours tested, ranging from barely measurable levels to concentrations of 239 micrograms per e-cigarette.

Diacetyl, a safe food flavouring, has been used to give microwave popcorn its buttery taste. But it has also been implicated in the case of eight popcorn factory workers who developed a lung condition called severe bronchiolitis obliterans after breathing it in.

Nicknamed "popcorn lung", bronchiolitis obliterans causes scarring of the lungs and loss of function that can become so severe the only treatment option may be a lung transplant.

Much of the alarm caused by this study hangs on the strength of evidence from previous reports linking these chemicals to lung damage.

However, this study didn't look at this issue directly, so whether there is a link between e-cigarettes and "popcorn lung" is currently unknown. NHS Choices