Vaping Linked to Teenagers 'Popcorn Lung' Injury

A Canadian teenager has developed a vaping-related injury lung which doctors say is very similar to "popcorn lung".

"Popcorn lung" is the nickname for bronchiolitis obliterans. That's a condition that damages your lungs' smallest airways and makes you cough and feel short of breath. [source]

Popcorn lung is typically an injury found in workers who are exposed to the chemical flavouring diacetyl as they package microwave popcorn. However, this latest injury in a Canadian teen appears to be damage caused by vaping.

The condition was previously seen in workers who were exposed to the chemical flavouring diacetyl as they packaged microwave popcorn.

The 17-year-old developed a persistent cough and fever and was eventually treated by six doctors from London who then published the report today.

BBC News reports:

The boy had vaped daily for five months using flavoured cartridges and regularly added THC - the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis - to his vaping fluid. His parents told the doctors he also had a habit of inhaling deeply when vaping.

As his condition deteriorated, he was hospitalised and in intensive care. He spent 47 days in hospital and narrowly avoided needing a double lung transplant, though there may be severe long-lasting lung damage, his doctors say.

After his physicians ruled out other causes for his illness they began suspecting flavoured e-liquids were the cause.

Vaping has taken the world by storm over the last several years as a safer alternative to smoking, however, few studies have ever been carried out to ensure the safety of vaping products and aggressive marketing aimed at young teenagers has created a whole new addiction crisis as seen in the previous century with smoking.