That's when the air sacs in the lungs are badly scarred

Oct 19, 2015 19:07 GMT  ·  By

E-cigarettes are hailed as a somewhat safer alternative to regular smokes. Well, it just so happens that this might not be true. Au contraire, it looks like there are risks to using these devices too. 

For one thing, medical experts warn that e-cigarettes can cause people to develop so-called popcorn lungs. Officially dubbed bronchiolitis obliterans, this condition is described by experts as an acute inflammation of the lungs' teeniest tiniest airways, the bronchioles.

Basically, what happens is that the air sacs that are part and parcel of the lungs and that we need to, well, breathe, are badly scarred and so can no longer do their job keeping us alive.

It happened to a 60-year-old man in Junction, Vermont, who was admitted to the hospital when he began displaying symptoms like cough, chills, weakness and fever. Having carried out a few tests, doctors notices opaque areas in his lungs and diagnosed him with inhalation injury.

When questioned, the patient admitted to using e-cigarettes. He agreed to quit, and once treated to deal with the existing health trouble, he started feeling much better. His symptoms never returned.

Besides, the doctors say that, when they inspected his lungs about three months later, they seemed to be in perfect condition. According to Medical Express, the man was likely made sick by chemicals added to the e-cigarette liquid to make it flavorful and, therefore, more appealing.

Of these chemicals, one in particular, i.e. diacetyl, has previously been tied to bronchioles obliterans. Thus, this compound, used to obtain a buttery flavor, is believed to have sickened around eight workers at a popcorn plant some time ago. The case was discussed by scientists in 2000.

It was following this occurrence that bronchioles obliterans came to be known as the popcorn lung disease or sometimes as popcorn worker's lung, medical experts explain.