In My eJuice ? No Thanks !
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In My eJuice ? No Thanks !
It ’ s common knowledge that if you want to make something better , all you need to do is smother it in butter . In fact , mankind ’ s near-religious devotion to butter indicates that as soon as science figures out a way to freebase it , all the world will be at peace under one blissful , butter-yellow cloud .
As humanity moves forward in this pursuit for utter perfection , it ’ s bound to take a few misguided turns along the way . It seems that for the vaping community , diacetyl , an artificial butter flavoring found in some brands of eLiquid , represents an unfortunate blind alley in the search for safe butter inhalation technology .
Diacetyl is used in margarine and other butter substitutes , and it ’ s the chemical that gives microwave popcorn its buttery taste . A product of fermentation , diacetyl is naturally found in some beers and is particularly prevalent in most chardonnays , which explains why the phrase “ hints of butterscotch ” is so often repeated on wine and beer flavor profiles . Because diacetyl is undeniably tasty as a food additive , it makes sense that it would show up as a flavoring agent in some brands of eLiquids .
The only problem is that while diacetyl is safe to eat , evidence suggests that it might not be particularly safe to inhale . This shouldn ’ t come as too great of a shock , considering that inhaling most foods under regular conditions usually leads to what is commonly referred to as “ choking .” However , diacetyl in particular has been established as the cause of some rather disturbing respiratory conditions .
In recent years , employees from several diacetyl manufacturing plants have been diagnosed with bronchiolitis obliterans , a very rare condition characterized by irreparable damage to lungs and airways . Because these workers were primarily young nonsmokers who were in otherwise good health , diacetyl is believed to be the common link in these cases . Studies have confirmed that exposure to airborne diacetyl can cause severe damage to the airways and even death in mice exposed to large quantities for prolonged periods of time .
In 2007 , another case of severe respiratory damage from diacetyl in microwave popcorn led a federal jury to award $ 7.27 million in damages to Wayne Watson . By microwaving popcorn on a daily basis for more than 10 years , Watson was subjected to enough airborne diacetyl to cause irreparable damage to his respiratory system . An analysis of his kitchen found levels of diacetyl similar
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