Does Vaping Cause Popcorn Lung? The Facts Explained

If you've ever looked into the safety of vaping, odds are you've come across a scary-sounding claim that vaping causes popcorn lung. It's one of those phrases that spreads like wildfire online because it's shocking, a little bizarre, and easy to remember.

But what's the truth behind it? Let's break down where this notion came from, what the science actually says, and how vaping is regulated in the UK today.

“Popcorn lung” isn't a medical term; it's a nickname for a condition called bronchiolitis obliterans. This is a rare and serious lung disease that damages the small airways in your lungs, causing coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. The condition earned its catchy nickname in the early 2000s after cases were discovered in workers at a popcorn factory in the United States.

The link? A flavouring chemical called diacetyl, which was used to give microwave popcorn its buttery taste. Workers exposed to very high levels of diacetyl over long periods of time developed this irreversible lung damage, hence the term “popcorn lung”.

The connection between vaping and popcorn lung first popped up in the mid-2010s. A 2015 study from Harvard analysed a selection of flavoured e-liquids and found that many of them contained diacetyl or related compounds. Understandably, this sparked headlines that vaping could cause popcorn lung in the same way it had harmed factory workers.

But here's what didn't always make the headlines:

• The levels of diacetyl in those early e-liquids were much lower than the levels workers were exposed to in popcorn plants.
• Cigarette smoke actually contains hundreds of times more diacetyl than those e-liquids, yet popcorn lung has never been considered a common smoking-related disease.
• Regulations around e-liquids have tightened significantly since that Harvard study, especially in places like the UK and the EU.

So while the initial reports weren't completely baseless, they painted an incomplete picture.

In the UK, e-liquids are regulated under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations (TRPR). That means every nicotine-containing product on the market has to go through a notification process with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

One of the key rules: diacetyl is not permitted as an ingredient in UK-notified nicotine e-liquids. Manufacturers must prove their products do not contain substances that pose health risks when heated or inhaled. This regulation was introduced precisely to avoid issues like the diacetyl scare.

In simple terms: if you're buying e-liquids legally in the UK from a reputable retailer, they won't contain diacetyl.

The short answer is no.

There have been no confirmed cases of 'popcorn lung' being caused by vaping nicotine e-liquids. Not in the UK, the US, or anywhere else for that matter. Health bodies including the NHS and the UK Health Security Agency have been clear on this point.

That doesn't mean vaping is risk-free, it just means the specific claim about popcorn lung is not supported by evidence.

Part of the confusion around popcorn lung also comes from mixing it up with another lung issue you might remember from the news: EVALI (E-cigarette or Vaping Associated Lung Injury).

Back in 2019, hundreds of cases of severe lung injury were reported in the US, leading to a wave of panic about vaping in general. But investigations found that these cases were linked to illicit THC vape cartridges that contained vitamin E acetate, not to nicotine e-liquids sold legally. EVALI is a completely different condition from popcorn lung, but the two often get blurred together in media reports and online discussions.

So if there's no real-world evidence, why does the idea that vaping causes popcorn lung keep resurfacing? A few reasons:

• It's catchy. “Popcorn lung” is one of those phrases that sticks in your head, and that makes it perfect headline material.
• It's based on a kernel of truth. Diacetyl was found in some e-liquids years ago, and it is linked to lung disease at high exposure levels.
• Confusion with other lung problems. EVALI, chronic bronchitis, and other conditions sometimes get mixed up in the public conversation.

The end result is a myth that sounds plausible, but isn't backed by actual cases.

It's important to remember that vaping isn't harmless. Public health organisations in the UK, like the Royal College of Physicians and UKHSA, take a balanced view: e-cigarettes are not risk-free, but they are significantly less harmful than smoking tobacco (95% less harmful to be exact).

Cigarettes contain thousands of chemicals, including tar and carbon monoxide, which are the main causes of smoking-related diseases like lung cancer, COPD, and heart disease. By comparison, e-liquids on the UK market are tightly regulated, and known harmful flavouring additives like diacetyl are banned.

That doesn't make vaping “healthy”, but it does explain why UK health authorities promote it as a harm reduction tool for adult smokers trying to quit.

To answer the question directly: no, vaping does not cause popcorn lung.

Diacetyl, the chemical responsible for cases of popcorn lung in factory workers, is not permitted in UK-regulated e-liquids.

Cigarettes actually contain far more diacetyl than early e-liquids ever did, yet popcorn lung is not a smoking-related disease.

There have been no confirmed cases of popcorn lung linked to vaping nicotine e-liquids anywhere in the world.

The myth has stuck around because it's a dramatic story with a catchy name, but the evidence simply doesn't support it. If you're in the UK and buying your e-liquids from reputable sources like us, popcorn lung is not something you need to worry about.

That said, vaping isn't completely risk-free, and it's not recommended for non-smokers. But if you're weighing up the risks compared to smoking, the fear of popcorn lung doesn't need to be part of the decision.