Do You Vape?

Risks associated with vaping… 

The smoking gun in the toxic reaction to vaping may have been isolated. Highlighted in The Scientist, the culprit apparently is Vitamin E acetate. A vitamin? How can that be? Aren’t vitamins supposed to be good for you? The toxicology-based answer is, as always, it depends. Depends on what you ask? Well that depends on the route of exposure. One of the toxicology tenets involves the route of exposure of a toxin. The way the toxin enters the body could have a profound effect on the user. Well this is a classic case of that with a twist. Vitamins are particular in that there are adverse effects that occur when the agent is used in different manners like oral delivery, topical or inhalation. What is it this time with the vaping story? 

According to Emily Makowski, health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have identified vitamin E acetate as a possible culprit in the recent string of vaping-related illnesses and deaths, according to a news briefing on Friday (November 8). The finding was also published in the CDC’s weekly Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Vitamin E acetate, a sticky substance used in supplements and skin creams, does not appear to cause harm to the body when taken orally or used on the skin. But research has shown that inhaling it could impair lung functioning, reports Associated Press. It is unknown how much the chemical is used in vaping products. This means the that the dose that makes the poison is not available. This is not a good thing physiologically. 

So far this year, vaping-related lung injury has sickened 2,051 people across the US and been tied to 40 deaths. The majority of the affected patients are teenage boys and young men. The new report was based on data from samples of lung fluid taken from 29 patients, including two who died. Vitamin E acetate was found in every sample, while THC was present in 23 of 28 samples tested and nicotine in 16 of 26 samples. The affected patients were more likely to vape THC than nicotine, to vape more than five times per day, and to buy THC-containing products from informal sources such as dealers, according to The New York Times. 

 “These new findings are significant because for the first time, we have detected a potential toxin of concern—vitamin E acetate—in biologic samples,” Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC,  adding that “there’s more work to do,” including confirming the findings through animal studies. 

This is a typical response from a scientist type to soften the action statement at the end by saying there is more work to do. This product has hurt a lot of people and killed others. Is it too much to state that if you vape with these ingredients in the mix, you are playing Russian Roulette with your life. It is these types of statements that effect change and make people think that the next victim could be them. 

The scientists need to evaluate the data and form an opinion and issue an action statement and not be so wishy-washy when lives are on the line. 

The entire article can be found at this link: 

https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/vitamin-e-acetate-tied-to-vaping-illnesses–cdc-66701?utm_campaign=TS_DAILY%20NEWSLETTER_2019&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=79284347&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-86tF_X9rjMtX557DijWxvmbsF-OOzcGno3QfY1NSPY4XG5s7oQPsyu1PbQ9d15D7zDouEUCoBod2-Z-Yht66sgv9TpuA&_hsmi=79284347

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Dr. Joe Nieusma and the Superior Toxicology & Wellness Team

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