Preliminary causal evidence concerning vaping-linked pulmonary illnesses
In late summer 2019, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) from the United States(US) of America announced the first tragic death following an epidemic of severe pulmonary diseases among vaping product users.
The US health officials who further investigated the mysterious vaping-linked lung illnesses have now made a major discovery: They have identified the same chemical in samples of marijuana products used by sick people, involving different product brands from different US regions.
The suspected culprit is vitamin E acetate, a derivative from vitamin E. The US investigators detected this presumably toxic agent to be present in samples collected from patients who fell ill across the United States. While this is the first common element found in these samples, health officials announced it is too early to know for sure whether this is the toxin causing the injuries. Unlike the human digestive tract, which can break down and get rid of foreign substances, the lungs are not designed to handle anything else then gases. With this background in mind, the US experts are now investigating the toxicity of vitamin E within the lungs.
As a reminder, vaping refers to the increasingly popular practice of inhaling vapor from an e-cigarette device. Most commonly, this involves heating a liquid that contains nicotine, marijuana, or other drugs. Because of vitamine E’s molecular structure, this agent must be excessively heated up for it to vaporize. Once the oil has become hot enough to vaporize, it can potentially decompose. This clearly means that you no longer know what you are exactly breathing in.
Of note is that the lungs are extremely delicate tissues.When foreign cells enter into the lungs, they generally get entrapped, preventing normal gas exchanges. As a result, this obstruction renders it more difficult for oxygen to enter into a person’s bloodstream. Besides, these foreign agents may cause inflammation within lung tissues, with liquids accumulating within the tissues, creating further barriers to oxygen uptake.
http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6845e2
Reference: Blount BC, Karwowski MP, Morel-Espinosa M, et al. Evaluation of Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid from Patients in an Outbreak of E-cigarette, or Vaping, Product Use–Associated Lung Injury — 10 States, August–October 2019. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. ePub: 8 November 2019.