E-cigarettes may not be a safe alternative for smoking. In fact, they may have some long-term health risks.
A recent test conducted by the researchers at the Harvard University T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 51 kinds of flavored e-cigarettes and flavor canisters were put under the scanner for diacetyl, acetonin and 2,3 pentanedione. These are the three chemicals that are infamous for causing respiratory problems, especially in factory workers.
Some of the popular flavours tested were bubble gum, cotton candy and tutti frutti. One of the three chemicals were found in 47 of the 51 products that were tested.
According to Taylor Hays, director of Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center, “With a host of e-cigarette flavors on the market, consumers are basically at the mercy of the manufacturers, where little is known about the chemicals used in the products.” She further added there are no FDA regulations on these products.
If reports are to be believed, the use of e-cigarettes triples among teens from 2013 to 2014, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Diacetyl is directly linked to bronchiolitis obliterans, which in acute conditions can require lung transplants. This disease is also known as “popcorn lung”. It has got its name from the popcorn factory workers who developed the disease after inhaling diacetyl.