Diacetyl is a product considered dangerous for the lungs since it has been associated with a specific disease. Used for many years in the United States in the manufacture of popcorn, this chemical is believed to be the cause of bronchiolitis obliterates. This condition, which affects the lungs, is also called the popcorn worker disease. In fact, it has been specially detected in workers working in this food industry and who have therefore inhaled diacetyl on a regular basis.
In France, the use of diacetyl has been banned for many years, but this does not prevent some consumers from taking the risk of inhaling it when using their e-cigarette.
Diacetyl and e-liquids
Diacetyl is, in fact, used in the manufacture of liquids intended to be inhaled in the context of the use of electronic cigarettes. France has therefore reacted by banning the sale of products containing it. But this is not enough, because many e-liquids sold on the Internet are composed of diacetyl and go through the cracks. With the juul cause popcorn lung the issues gets more complicated.
Thus, a study published in 2015 by Environmental Health Perspectives highlighted that of the 51 e-liquids analyzed, 39 contained diacetyl. The risks are therefore real for the users of these products, even if, at the present time, scientists have not been able to establish a threshold beyond which people who inhaled this chemical would fall ill.
It is therefore advisable for smokers using an e-cigarette to check the list of components of products purchased on the Internet in order to avoid all those containing diacetyl.
Mainly a base, in which nicotine and aromas are diluted.
The aromas:
They are often the same as for cooking, natural or artificial, we find them for example in yoghurts or in prepared dishes. Their list is not indicated on the bottles, most of the flavors being compositions, only the overall sensation or the intention of the assembler is indicated. To find out what will please us, the solution is to try them.
Nicotine:
It is extracted from tobacco and purified, then diluted in the base to a level of 3 to 20 milligrams per milliliters (the level in mg / ml is indicated on the bottles). It brings hit, and its effect is the same as for the cigarette, without the harmful effects of the tar of this one.
The base:
It is the liquid itself, a mixture of propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG), in variable proportions according to its objective.
These 2 products have been used in cooking, cosmetics and pharmacy for a long time, we know that they do not pose a problem and the latest studies confirm that e-liquids do not seem harmful in the long term, including for asthmatics for example. However, the fact remains that PG can cause (mild) allergies in some people, we will come back to this.
- Glycerin produces a lot of vapor and brings smoothness, smoothness to the vape, with a slight sweet sensation, but it carries the aromas quite badly and it is quite viscous, it sometimes has trouble penetrating the wicks well, which can lead to a dry vape on some atomizers.
- Propylene glycol is fluid, it brings hit and transmits aromas and nicotine very well, but produces little vapor, it dries the mouth a little, and it can be irritating for some people (sometimes allergic).
- The manufacturers sometimes add a little water (1 to 5%, to thin out) and / or a little alcohol (traces, to accentuate the hit). This should be reported (especially for alcohol), but often it is not.
