why are they cutting vape cartridges with vitamin e

Vitamin E acetate is not found in legal e-cigarettes. But it is often used by drug dealers to cut THC vape cartridges in an effort to increase their profits. “These findings provide direct evidence of vitamin E acetate at the primary site of injury within the lungs,” said Schuchat.

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Is there vitamin E in your vape cartridge?

Nov 08, 2019 · CDC doctor Anne Schuchat said Friday that it has identified a “ very strong culprit ” hiding inside illicit market THC vaporizer cartridges. Investigators located vitamin E …

Is vitamin E acetate to blame for vaping outbreak?

Sep 11, 2019 · “Vitamin E acetate may also oxidize or burn when heated too high in a vaping device, producing toxic chemicals in the vapor. Again, this …

How does a vape cartridge work?

Sep 05, 2019 · New York state health officials are looking at Vitamin E acetate in vape pens as a possible cause of lung injury. Health officials also said the majority of vape cartridges involved came from black...

Can vitamin E oil end up in THC cartridges?

Nov 11, 2019 · Nov. 11, 2019 -- CDC researchers have identified their first possible culprit behind the outbreak of illness related to vaping: vitamin E acetate. Calling it …

What happens if you smoke vitamin E?

What does vitamin E do to lungs?

Why do they put vitamin E in vape juice?

Does my vape juice contain vitamin E acetate?

Can vitamin E cause breathing problems?

What are the symptoms of lung damage from vaping?

Is it safe to vape vitamins?

Is vitamin E oil toxic?

Is synthetic vitamin E safe?

What is the difference between vitamin E and vitamin E acetate?

Does nasty juice contain vitamin E?

How long does it take for your lungs to heal from vaping?

How to separate tocopherols from vegetable oil?

From various plant sources of tocopherols, chemists extract vegetable oil, then separate the tocopherols from the rest of the vegetable oil using fractionation. It’s like distilling. The danger there is trace food allergens like soy and nut in tocopherol mixtures.

What is the arrow in Tocopheryl Acetate?

It’s part of a class of “long-chain” hydrocarbons that can adhere to and clump up your lung fluid, she said. Tocopheryl-acetate contains an acetate ring (arrow 1) that enhances its natural affinity for binding (arrow 2) to lung fluid.

What is the name of the fluid that adheres to the lung?

Tocopherols adhere to your lung’s liner fluid, called lung surfactant. Lung surfactant enables oxygen to transfer from air into your body. Tocopherols serve to block the necessary gas transfer from occurring.

How many forms of vitamin E are there?

Vitamin E oil has 8 forms. Eight main types of tocopherol exist, from alpha-tocopherol all the way through gamma-tocopherol. “The most relevant vitamin E compound is alpha-tocopherol since it is the most abundant and potent of the group,” said Vu Lam, an official with Anresco Laboratories in San Francisco. “The main difference between naturally ...

What is vitamin E acetate?

One current suspect in the outbreak is vitamin E acetate, sometimes used as a vape cartridge additive. It’s a popular new diluent thickener found mostly in illicit market THC vape carts. What is vitamin E oil and what makes it dangerous?

How many people died from vitamin E injections in 1984?

In stark contrast, 38 US children died from vitamin E oil injections in 1984.

Why is hydroquinone banned?

It’s used to get rid of dark spots or discolorations. The European Union has banned hydroquinone because of its potential carcinogenic effects.

Where did vape cartridges come from?

Health officials also said the majority of vape cartridges involved came from black market sources . "Many are suspected to be counterfeits of recreational cannabis-containing vape products available in other states," the statement said. Public health officials are frantically trying to find the causes and sources of the rash of severe lung injuries.

How many cases of vaping related illnesses have been reported?

Public health officials are frantically trying to find the causes and sources of the rash of severe lung injuries. More than 200 cases of vaping-related illnesses have been reported from at least 25 states, including two reported deaths. One California doctor also said he is seeing black-market vape cartridges as a common connection to many ...

How many high school students vape?

Other commonly used names are vapes, e-hookahs, vape pens, mods, tanks, or electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). About 1 in 5 high school students now vape, the CDC estimates, and 1 in 20 middle school students do. Cost is the main driver for young people choosing to buy from an unlicensed source, Teske says.

Is vaping addictive?

Provided by Vaping was designed to be addictive. Vaping manufacturers knowingly put you at risk. Free Evaluation. In New York, where 34 cases of the severe lung disease have been reported Department of Health officials said they are focusing on vitamin E acetate after finding it in nearly all of the samples it analyzed linked to the illnesses.

Can you buy cartridges from a dispensary?

Buying cartridges from a licensed dispensary is usually about double the cost of getting them from an unlicensed source. He says sellers of the unlicensed goods may be cutting the THC or CBD with something that is toxic to the lungs. "There are all kinds of solvents they can use," he says.

Is it safe to take vitamin E acetate?

Although its safe to take as a vitamin or use on your skin, "the Department continues to investigate its health effects when inhaled because its oil-like properties could be associated with the observed symptoms," it said in a statement. Learn more about vitamin E acetate and why it might be harmful.

Is vitamin E linked to vaping?

Editor's note: This story was updated Sept. 6, 2019 with New York's investigation into vitamin E as a possible link in the vaping cases. Sept. 5, 2019 -- As vaping-related lung illnesses continue to climb in the U.S., public health officials are narrowing in on two possible links: vitamin E and black-market vape cartridges.

Why is the finding of vitamin E acetate important?

Anne Schuchat, MD, the CDC's principal deputy director, says the finding is significant because it is “the first direct evidence of vitamin E acetate at the primary site of the injury.". Vitamin E acetate is an additive in the production of e-cigarette, or vaping, products and a thickening agent in THC products.

What is the medical term for e-cigarettes?

Schuchat says the findings do not rule out the possibility that other substances could also be playing a role in the illness, known as EVALI (e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury). More research is also needed to prove cause and effect, she says.

What substances are detected in bronchoalveolar lavage?

They found no detectable levels for the other substances, including plant oils, medium chain triglycerides, petroleum distillates, and terpenes (aromatic oils found in cannabis).

Do people who get evali buy black market products?

Other research presented by public health officials at a Friday briefing found that people who get EVALI are much more likely to buy black market products , especially a class of largely counterfeit products called Dank Vapes.

Is it better to examine fluid from the lungs or test e-liquids?

She says examining the fluid from the lungs is better evidence than testing the e-liquids. "The e–liquids, before being heated and aerosolized, have less than half the total number of chemicals that your lungs actually see. The fact they are looking at the chemical profile in the lung is a more powerful method. They are looking at the chemicals that actually reach the lungs."

Is evali a THC?

While most cases of EVALI have been linked to illicit THC, Schuchat says there are anecdotal reports of patients who bought from licensed dispensaries. And some cases have been reported in patients who vape nicotine only, she says.

What oil do you use to fill a vape cartridge?

Traditionally, vape manufacturers have tried to fill out cartridges by using additives like vegetable glycerin and MCT oil. The use of vitamin E oil is “very recent,” the anonymous admin behind Dankbusters Official, a watchdog Instagram account that posts lab results for black market THC cartridges, tells Rolling Stone.

What is honey cut?

Much speculation has also centered on Honey Cut, a cheap thickening agent of ambiguous origin that has been popular on the vape-cartridge black market since it was introduced in late 2018. The terpene manufacturer True Terpenes told the cannabis website Leafly that it had conducted lab tests on Honey Cut and found that it contained vitamin E acetate.

Does vitamin E oil cause lipid pneumonitis?

In the past, there have been a handful of case studies assessing the link between vitamin E oil inhalation and lipid pneumonitis. According to NBC News, in 2000, a case report in the Canadian Respiratory Journal found that a 30-year-old woman had developed lipid pneumonitis as a result of using homemade cannabis oil brewed with petroleum jelly and vitamin E oil.

How many people died from vaping in New York?

These vapes were identified by the New York State Department of Health as part of 34 cases of severe pulmonary illnesses in the state, among 380 confirmed and probable cases, with six patients dying, throughout the U.S. Health officials are looking into vitamin E acetate and its link to the illnesses.

What is vitamin E in vapes?

Jeffrey C. Raber, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Visionary Officer of Los Angeles-based lab testing facility The Werc Shop, told Weedmaps News that vitamin E acetate, or alpha-tocopherol acetate, is an ester of alpha-tocopherol — one of eight compounds in the vitamin E class.

How many deaths from THC in 2019?

As of Oct. 3, 2019, there have been 18 reported deaths and 1,080 confirmed and probable cases ...

Why is it safe to eat but not to inhale?

Rae added that there are two reasons why something could be safe to eat, but not to inhale: 1) the liver is good at filtering out toxicants, but the lungs are not, and 2) edible vitamin E acetate contains no degradation products, which are plausibly abundant in superheated vapor.

How many times a day did a woman smoke marijuana?

The case, published in the Canadian Respiratory Journal in 2000, revealed that the woman smoked homemade cannabis oil two to 10 times a day for more than a decade.

Does Cobra extract contain PG?

In a released statement to Weedmaps News, manufacturer Cobra Extracts said it “always produce [s] natural cannabis products without any additives or cutting agents” and that their products do not contain vitamin E acetate, propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerin (VG), polyethylene glycol (PEG), coconut oil, medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oils, or any other cutting agents. Binske, TribeTokes, and Vapen MJ provided a similar statement.

Can vapes cause lung damage?

With a lack of tangible data, it is possible that vitamin E acetate and other vape additives found in THC carts — like the ones that are the only common denominator in the current outbreak of lung illnesses — may break down into toxic chemicals that can cause irreparable lung damage.

How many people died from vaping?

As has been the case for months, the vast majority of patients reported vaping THC. As it stands, there have been more than 2,000 cases of lung illnesses and 39 deaths associated with vaping. The most common factor among those who have fallen ill over the past three months is that they vaped black market THC products, often bought off the street or from friends. Unfortunately, the CDC has been consistently ambiguous on the question of whether or not commercially available e-cigarettes containing nicotine are responsible for the outbreak. It is clear they are not responsible.

Is the CDC ambiguous on nicotine?

And he is right, the CDC’s ambiguity on the nicotine did not go unnoticed. Groups dedicated to the prohibition of e-cigarettes seized on the recent tragic deaths to pressure FDA, Congress, and governors to crack down on vaping.

Can e-cigarettes cause lung injury?

But the CDC persisted in saying it couldn’t rule out regular e-cigarettes as a cause of the outbreak. As late as Nov. 1, the CDC advised: “because the specific compound or ingredient causing lung injury is not yet known, and while the investigation continues, persons should consider refraining from the use of all e-cigarette, or vaping, products.”

Should we ban vitamin E acetate?

States "should be banning vitamin E acetate. No question," said cannabis industry executive Tyrell Towle, who is on a Colorado government advisory committee. "There's no reason to use cutting agents because you can make high-quality vape cartridges using only cannabis-derived ingredients.". Towle is director of chemistry ...

Does THC have vitamin E?

Cannabis testing company Anresco Laboratories tested THC samples sold in California and reported last month it found a high degree of vitamin E acetate contamination in illicit market samples. Of the 15 illegal-market cartridges tested, nine had vitamin E acetate at concentrations of 20%-50%. None of the more than 200 legally sold brands did.

Is Floraplex Terpenes selling cutting agents?

Floraplex Terpenes said in a statement that it planned to keep selling cutting agents. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said last week that the CDC’s vitamin E acetate findings underscore the importance of homing in on the toxin of concern. Here's how some other states are responding:

What is a vape cartridge?

Vape cartridges include a mouthpiece, chamber, and heating element known as an atomizer.

Where are vape cartridges made?

A large portion of vape cartridge components are produced at metal foundries in China, many of which add small amounts of lead into brass and copper feedstocks to improve the malleability of metals. This includes the heating coil, which heats up the cannabis oil, potentially transferring toxic metals into the consumer's vapors.

How is cannabis oil made?

Cannabis vape oils that fill vape cartridges are usually created through a process called distillation, which strips the cannabis molecules down to just the cannabinoids. So, what about unique flavors that are defined by the plant's terpene profile found in the aroma of fresh cannabis flower? All of that is stripped away during the distillation process. Some cannabis oil producers will collect the cannabis-derived terpenes during the process and reintroduce them into the oil, allowing the distillate-filled cartridge to be strain-specific. More commonly, the terpenes used to flavor distillate are derived from other natural plants.

How does a cannabis atomizer work?

The atomizer is activated when contact is initiated with the battery, heating up the chamber and vaporizing the cannabis oil. The chamber of a vape cartridge is filled with a THC- or cannabidiol (CBD)-dominant concentrate, and some producers will reintroduce terpenes that had been removed from the distillation process.

How many people died from vaping?

As a result of the 380 illnesses and six deaths of people across the United States from vaping cannabis or e-cigarettes, consumers, vape makers, and retailers alike have to be aware of how products are made and where they were made.

What is a vape pen?

Vape pens are designed to vaporize cannabis oils and distillates. A vape pen comprises two primary components: a battery and the vape cartridge. The battery consists of the bottom portion of the vape pen, providing power to the heating element, which vaporizes the cannabis oil contained inside the vape cartridge.

What is a PEG in vaping?

Polyethylene glycol (PEG): a cutting agent used in vape liquids to keep the product evenly mixed.