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Inhaling Flavouring Chemicals
There is at least one chemical that is GRAS (generally regarded as safe) which can cause lung disease when inhaled. When rating chemicals for GRAS they are checked for safety to eat, however, that doesn't mean they are safe to inhale. Some food industry workers have developed lung disease from breathing concentrations of particular food flavouring.
Apparently "the flavorings industry has estimated that over a thousand flavoring ingredients have the potential to be respiratory hazards due to possible volatility and irritant properties (alpha, beta-unsaturated aldehydes and ketones, aliphatic aldehydes, aliphatic carboxylic acids, aliphatic amines, and aliphatic aromatic thiols and sulfides)." NIOSH Topic: Flavorings-Related Lung Disease: Exposures to Flavoring Chemicals | CDC/NIOSH
The chemical that came to my attention is diacetyl. It gives a buttery taste to food and also "occurs naturally in alcoholic beverages". Diacetyl - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Workers in some food factories have been diagnosed with lung disease because of diacetyl.
"The main respiratory symptoms experienced by workers affected by fixed airways obstruction include cough (usually without phlegm) and shortness of breath on exertion. These symptoms typically do not improve when the worker goes home at the end of the workday or on weekends or vacations. The severity of the lung symptoms can range from only a mild cough to severe cough and shortness of breath on exertion. Usually these symptoms are gradual in onset and progressive, but severe symptoms can occur suddenly. Some workers may experience fever, night sweats, and weight loss. Before arriving at a final diagnosis, doctors of affected workers initially thought that the symptoms might be due to asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia, or smoking. Severe cases may not respond to medical treatment. Affected workers generally notice a gradual reduction or cessation of cough years after they are no longer exposed to flavoring vapors, but shortness of breath on exertion persists. Several with very severe disease were placed on lung transplant waiting lists. Workers exposed to flavorings may also experience eye, nose, throat, and skin irritation. In some cases, chemical eye burns have required medical treatment." NIOSH - Preventing Lung Disease in Workers Who Use or Make Flavorings - Publication No. 2004 - 110
So if you can, check what is in your eliquid, diacetyl is definately a baddie. Watch out for symptoms and be aware that there might be other chemicals that cause similar reactions.
I've emailed LorAnn about their flavourings and they say they do not use diacetyl in any of them.
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Originally Posted by Kate
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