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Popcorn Lung: Can Vaping Cause Popcorn Lung?

A recent flyer making the rounds online claims that a 17-year-old girl in the US developed “popcorn lung” after three years of vaping, which she started to cope with anxiety during the COVID-19 lockdown. It also warned that doctors say this condition can cause permanent lung damage. Stories like this can be alarming but how true is it? Let’s dig into the facts.

What Is Popcorn Lung?

Popcorn lung is the catchy nickname for bronchiolitis obliterans, a rare and serious lung disease that affects the smallest airways in your lungs, called bronchioles. These tiny passages become inflamed and scarred, making it harder to breathe over time. The condition got its name back in the early 2000s when workers at a microwave popcorn factory started getting sick after inhaling diacetyl, a chemical used to give popcorn its buttery flavor. According to studies, that scarring is permanent, leading to symptoms like coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath—symptoms that can mimic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In severe cases, it can even lead to respiratory failure if untreated. While diacetyl has been largely phased out of reputable e-cigarette liquids, vaping can still expose users to other harmful substances like formaldehyde or acrolein, depending on the product.

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Can Vaping Cause Popcorn Lung?

The claim that vaping led to popcorn lung in a young girl isn’t entirely implausible, but it’s not as straightforward as it seems. Diacetyl, the chemical linked to popcorn lung, has been found in some e-cigarette liquids, especially in creamy or buttery flavors, because it enhances taste. When inhaled, diacetyl can cause inflammation and scarring in the lungs’ smallest airways, potentially leading to bronchiolitis obliterans. A 2015 study from Harvard found diacetyl in 39 out of 51 e-cigarette flavors tested, sparking concern among health experts. However, after these findings, many e-cigarette manufacturers voluntarily removed diacetyl from their products, and some regions, like the UK, banned its use in nicotine vapes altogether.

Despite this connection, there’s a big caveat: confirmed cases of popcorn lung directly caused by vaping are extremely rare. It’s worth noting that teen vaping did spike during the pandemic, often as a way to manage stress or anxiety. A 2019 case study from Canada does describe a 17-year-old boy who developed severe acute bronchiolitis after intense vaping of flavored e-liquids and THC. His symptoms were suggestive of bronchiolitis obliterans, and he required intensive care, including mechanical ventilation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Months later, he still had limited exercise tolerance and fixed airflow obstruction, indicating possible permanent damage.

More broadly, health authorities like Cancer Research UK and Canada’s health department have stated there are no confirmed cases of popcorn lung directly linked to vaping. If vaping were a major cause, we’d expect to see a spike in bronchiolitis obliterans cases over the past 15 years as vaping has grown in popularity—but that hasn’t happened. Interestingly, according to research, traditional cigarettes contain even higher levels of diacetyl than early e-cigarettes did, yet there’s no clear link between smoking and popcorn lung either.

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Other Lung Risks From Vaping

Even if popcorn lung isn’t a common outcome, vaping isn’t off the hook. It’s been linked to other serious lung issues, like EVALI (E-cigarette or Vaping Product Use-Associated Lung Injury), which spiked in 2019 and 2020. EVALI often involves alveolar damage and has been strongly tied to vaping THC products containing vitamin E acetate, with 2,807 hospitalized cases and 68 deaths reported in the US by February 2020. While EVALI is distinct from popcorn lung, it highlights the broader risks of inhaling chemicals from e-liquids. It has been shown that vaping can also expose users to other harmful substances like formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and heavy metals, which may contribute to lung inflammation, asthma, or even a future risk of lung cancer—though long-term data on cancer is still emerging.

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Conclusion 

Vaping isn’t risk-free! There’s plenty of evidence it can harm your lungs, especially with unregulated products, and chemicals like diacetyl have been linked to serious conditions like popcorn lung in other contexts. Severe lung injury is possible, especially with heavy use of flavored or THC-containing vapes. If you or someone you know knows about vapes, you might want to apply caution. Stick to regulated products, avoid black-market vapes, and consider the real risks to your lung health. If you’re experiencing symptoms like coughing or shortness of breath, consult your doctor immediately.

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