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EVALI outbreak
CDC ZEROES IN ON
VITAMIN E ACETATE
Diluent found in all 29 lung disease samples tested by CDC
Words: Gordon Stribling
There have been 2,290 cases of e-cigarette or vaping
product use-associated lung injury (‘EVALI’) as of
November 20. The serious lung condition has the
appearance of pneumonia, with symptoms including
chest pain, nausea, vomiting and shortness of breath.
After many months of cautious updates, the CDC is now
fi nally willing to point to at least one potential cause,
vitamin E acetate, often found in black market THC
oil cartridges (although it hasn’t ruled out that other
products or chemicals may be involved.)
If this sounds like old news, that’s because it is. The
diluent has been implicated in the outbreak since early
September. However, the case now seems so clear that
the CDC has specifi cally tested for it.
In November, they tested 29 fluid samples collected
from the lungs of EVALI patients. Vitamin E acetate
was found in all of them. They also tested for a range
of other chemicals that might be found in (mostly
cannabis) vape products, including MCT oil, plant oils
and terpenes. None were detected.
Victoria Derbyshire, deputy director of the New York
state lab that tested the samples said:
"We are under the impression that vitamin E acetate
56 VM26
is being used to dilute cannabis oil and stretch it and
make it go further so that you can sell more products
and make more money.”
Cannabis oil, not nicotine e-liquid. It seems a moot
point to our industry that uses PG and VG and avoids
oils knowing that they are not safe to vape. But whether
through ignorance or intent, the media and even public
health bodies often fail to make that distinction.
Vaping is a relatively new concept in the cannabis space.
Back in 2012, THC vape products were pretty much
unheard of, but by 2018, they accounted for a quarter of
all cannabis products sold in the US, according to BDS
Analytics.
And it makes sense that cannabis consumers would
adopt vaping as the technology improved. As well as the
convenience, vape devices provide a stealth alternative
to dry herb smoking as it barely emits that distinctive
cannabis smell.
Naturally, as vaping became more popular, black
market manufacturers began looking for ways to get
on the market and make a few savings by using diluting
agents like vitamin E acetate, which gives the oils the
appearance and thickness of a pure THC product.