Posted on : Dec.12,2019 17:00 KST
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E-cigarette products that were stopped being sold at a convenience store in Seoul in October.
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Vitamin E acetate associated with severe lung ailments in both S. Korea and US
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E-cigarette products that were stopped being sold at a convenience store in Seoul in October.
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Amid strong recommendations by the South Korean government to cease use of liquid-based e-cigarettes, the substance vitamin E acetate, which has been implicated in severe lung ailments, has been detected in e-cigarette products. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised that vitamin E acetate, which adheres to the lungs, should not be added to e-cigarettes while it is under investigation as a possible cause of lung disease.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) announced on Dec. 11 that it had completed analysis of seven types of harmful substances in 153 liquid-based e-cigarette products currently on the South Korean market, adding that it would announce more specific results on Dec. 12. The MFDS inspections focused on the presence of THC, a hallucinogenic component of marijuana; vitamin E acetate, which may be added to fluids; three types of flavoring agents (diacetyl, acetoin, and 2,3-pentanedione); and two solvents (propylene glycol and glycerin) that assist with the fluid’s evaporation. The results showed the detection of potentially harmful substances in some products, including vitamin E acetate as well as flavoring agents and solvents.
But THC, which has been a major focus of controversy in the US, was not found to be present in the products sold in South Korea, presumably due to its distribution being banned by the Narcotics Control Act. Many of the cases of severe lung disease found in the US were associated with the use of liquid-based e-cigarettes combining THJC with nicotine. Some lung disease cases were also found among patients who had smoked products containing only nicotine, however.
According to CDC data, a total of 2,291 people in the US had been identified as suffering from lung damage associated with liquid-based e-cigarette use as of Dec. 4, while 48 had died. In South Korea, a case of lung disease believed to be associated with liquid-based e-cigarette use was reported to health authorities in October.
By Park Hyun-jung, staff reporters
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