Brianne Cullen, a 17-year-old American cheerleader, developed a rare lung disease after vaping for three years. While many still believe that vaping is a safer alternative to cigarettes, its use is increasingly linked to severe conditions such as bronchiolitis obliterans, commonly known as “popcorn lung.”

What Is Popcorn Lung and How Is It Linked to Vaping?

The term “popcorn lung” emerged in the early 2000s after several workers at a microwave popcorn factory developed serious lung diseases from inhaling diacetyl, a chemical used to create buttery flavor. This same compound is found in many vape liquids. When heated and inhaled, diacetyl damages the bronchioles — the smallest airways in the lungs — causing inflammation, irreversible scarring, and severe breathing difficulties.

Medically known as bronchiolitis obliterans, this disease has no cure. It is permanent and progressive, with treatment limited to managing symptoms through steroids, bronchodilators, or, in extreme cases, lung transplants. Once the damage is done, it cannot be undone.

Although diacetyl is banned in vape products across Europe and the UK, it remains legal in the United States and other regions. The widespread use of unregulated or illegal vapes — with unknown chemical content — adds another layer of risk. Beyond diacetyl, other substances like formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, also found in vape aerosols, can cause similar toxic effects on lung tissue.

Brianne’s case is not an isolated one. Back in 2019, the EVALI outbreak (E-cigarette or Vaping Product Use-Associated Lung Injury) resulted in over 2,800 hospitalizations and 68 deaths in the U.S. The main culprit then was vitamin E acetate, an additive in cannabis vape products that, when heated, released ketene — a lethal gas when inhaled.

The Flavor Trap: How Sweet Scents Hook Young People

Sweet flavors like cotton candy, mango, or bubblegum make vaping particularly enticing to teens and young adults. These flavors are made using chemicals approved for food consumption, but not necessarily for inhalation. Ingesting them may be harmless, but inhaling their heated aerosol form can be a different story.

The human digestive system has ways to process toxins. The lungs, however, send inhaled substances directly into the bloodstream, reaching vital organs within seconds — drastically increasing the potential for harm.

More than 180 different chemical compounds have been identified in e-cigarettes, many of which have never been studied for their inhalation toxicity. Even without diacetyl, alternatives like acetoin or 2,3-pentanedione can cause similar lung damage.

A recent multinational study found that teens who vape report more respiratory symptoms — such as coughing, shortness of breath, and wheezing — even if they’ve never smoked traditional cigarettes. Certain flavors, nicotine types, and usage frequency further intensify these effects.

The issue is not only chemical, but also regulatory. Unlike food or pharmaceutical products, many vaping products don’t undergo strict safety testing. And while some regulations have improved in developed countries, the explosion of illicit vape brands keeps the threat very much alive.

Vaping may seem trendy, clean, and harmless. But behind that sweet-smelling cloud of vapor are chemicals that were never meant to enter our lungs. And in far too many cases, the damage only becomes clear once it’s too late.

Reference:

• People/High School Cheerleader Left with ‘Deadly Diagnosis’ After Secretly Vaping for 3 Years. Link

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