https://www.wweek.com/news/state/20...-a-specific-chemical-used-in-cheap-vape-pens/
7 Oct. 2019
"A new study by a Colorado lab points to a new potential culprit in the nationwide wave of lung injuries caused by vaping: a rare disease caused by inhalation of a chemical present in many cheap vape pens that is used to fuse metals together.
The study used data from 53 patient cases in Wisconsin and Illinois who suffered severe lung illness due to vaping. From that study, the lab concluded that the vaping illness symptoms directly correlate to an advanced stage of a very rare disease, almost exclusively suffered by welders and others who inhale chemical concoctions, called Metal Fume Fever.
The advanced stage of Metal Fume Fever, which the lab believes are the equivalent of the vaping illnesses, is called Cadmium Pneumonitis.
The culprit chemical, according to the lab? Silver solder, which helps binds metals together in many cheaply manufactured vape pens, which contains the chemical cadmium. When inhaled, cadmium oxide fumes are highly toxic to organs, and according to the study the fumes "directly injure lung cells, leading to fluid accumulation, impaired lung function, and respiratory failure."
Silver solder is used to "make stable unions between dissimilar metals such as copper and stainless steel," the study reads. The appeal of lower-end vape pen manufacturers using silver solder is its low price: "Cadmium-containing silver solder is less expensive than cadmium-free alternatives and has improved flow properties which facilitate the joining of dissimilar metals found in vape pen electrical components," the study reads.
The study, conducted by the Colorado Green Lab, is the latest evidence as health officials try to solve a wave of lung illnesses—including two deaths in Oregon—linked to vaping.
Several high-profile studies have come to different conclusions. While some have blamed black market cartridges and possible cutting agents like vitamin E acetate causing oil build-up in the lungs, others have likened the lung injuries to chemical burns."
[...]
The study out of the Colorado lab largely backs up the findings out of the Mayo Clinic's study of 17 lung tissue samples last week, which found that all the injuries resembled severe chemical burns, similar to those caused by mustard gas, a biological weapon created during World War I.
The Mayo Clinic’s study reported that patients had severe cell and tissue damage and fluid accumulation.
The Colorado study includes a chart comparing the symptoms of the vaping related illnesses to the symptoms of Cadmium Pneumonitis:
The data set the Colorado Green Lab used to conduct the study was originally made available in the New England Journal of Medicine.
NBC News gathered vaping products and commissioned CannaSafe Lab in California to test the cartridges: 13 out of 15 black market cartridges contained vitamin E acetate, and none of the legal cartridges contained any harmful additives. Ten out of ten black market cartridges tested for pesticides contained myclobutinol, a highly potent pesticide that turns into hydrogen cyanide when burned.
Further complicating the issue in Oregon is that both of the patients who died from vaping purchased products from licensed dispensaries. Another patient who survived, Justin Wilson, told WW he exclusively vaped non-THC Juul pods. His doctor told him oil build-up in the lungs had caused his near-death illness.
7 Oct. 2019
"A new study by a Colorado lab points to a new potential culprit in the nationwide wave of lung injuries caused by vaping: a rare disease caused by inhalation of a chemical present in many cheap vape pens that is used to fuse metals together.
The study used data from 53 patient cases in Wisconsin and Illinois who suffered severe lung illness due to vaping. From that study, the lab concluded that the vaping illness symptoms directly correlate to an advanced stage of a very rare disease, almost exclusively suffered by welders and others who inhale chemical concoctions, called Metal Fume Fever.
The advanced stage of Metal Fume Fever, which the lab believes are the equivalent of the vaping illnesses, is called Cadmium Pneumonitis.
The culprit chemical, according to the lab? Silver solder, which helps binds metals together in many cheaply manufactured vape pens, which contains the chemical cadmium. When inhaled, cadmium oxide fumes are highly toxic to organs, and according to the study the fumes "directly injure lung cells, leading to fluid accumulation, impaired lung function, and respiratory failure."
Silver solder is used to "make stable unions between dissimilar metals such as copper and stainless steel," the study reads. The appeal of lower-end vape pen manufacturers using silver solder is its low price: "Cadmium-containing silver solder is less expensive than cadmium-free alternatives and has improved flow properties which facilitate the joining of dissimilar metals found in vape pen electrical components," the study reads.
The study, conducted by the Colorado Green Lab, is the latest evidence as health officials try to solve a wave of lung illnesses—including two deaths in Oregon—linked to vaping.
Several high-profile studies have come to different conclusions. While some have blamed black market cartridges and possible cutting agents like vitamin E acetate causing oil build-up in the lungs, others have likened the lung injuries to chemical burns."
[...]
The study out of the Colorado lab largely backs up the findings out of the Mayo Clinic's study of 17 lung tissue samples last week, which found that all the injuries resembled severe chemical burns, similar to those caused by mustard gas, a biological weapon created during World War I.
The Mayo Clinic’s study reported that patients had severe cell and tissue damage and fluid accumulation.
The Colorado study includes a chart comparing the symptoms of the vaping related illnesses to the symptoms of Cadmium Pneumonitis:
The data set the Colorado Green Lab used to conduct the study was originally made available in the New England Journal of Medicine.
NBC News gathered vaping products and commissioned CannaSafe Lab in California to test the cartridges: 13 out of 15 black market cartridges contained vitamin E acetate, and none of the legal cartridges contained any harmful additives. Ten out of ten black market cartridges tested for pesticides contained myclobutinol, a highly potent pesticide that turns into hydrogen cyanide when burned.
Further complicating the issue in Oregon is that both of the patients who died from vaping purchased products from licensed dispensaries. Another patient who survived, Justin Wilson, told WW he exclusively vaped non-THC Juul pods. His doctor told him oil build-up in the lungs had caused his near-death illness.
. I switched to vaping from chewing Nicorette - a ridiculous amount which increased as time went by - because I calculated that it would be much cheaper. Huh! Fat chance!
