Although diacetyl is formally forbidden in e-cigarettes in the EU and UK, this does not imply it does not find its way into illicit goods.
It also still exists in US and other countries’ products. But other harmful compounds can also ’cause popcorn lung’.
Professor O’Shea says: “Including volatile carbonyls like formaldehyde and acetaldehyde – both of which have also been detected in e-cigarettes vapours.”
According to specialists, ‘over 180 distinct flavoring agents used in e-cigarettes today’ break down into ‘new compounds’ not all of which have been ‘tested for inhalation safety’ when heated.
“Direct proof of diacetyl’s etiology of the illness is not feasible given vapers’ lungs are exposed to so many substances in any one instance.
