What You Need to Know About Vitamin E Acetate

Recently, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released new laboratory findings on potential culprits in the vaping lung injury outbreak. And while the investigation and testing remain ongoing, these new findings have suggested vitamin E acetate as a potential culprit. 

What is vitamin E acetate? And what do these new laboratory findings mean for your vaping lawsuit and your path to recovery? Here, we’re doing a quick recap of the CDC’s findings on vitamin E acetate and the vaping injury outbreak. 

What is Vitamin E Acetate?

Vitamin E acetate is used as an additive in THC products, typically to either thicken or dilute them. This particular synthetic form of vitamin E is actually used—and is safe to use—in skin products and nutritional supplements. 

It’s actually found in many foods, from vegetable oils to cereals and even fruits and vegetables. In all of those cases, it’s safe. 

The catch? It is not safe to inhale. 

Typically, when ingested with food or absorbed as skin cream, vitamin E acetate is generally safe. But once inhaled, it becomes sticky and honey-like and has a tendency to stay in the lungs long after inhalation. Worse, previous research has shown that vitamin E acetate may interfere with normal lung functioning when inhaled. 

Current Lab Findings

The bad news for e-cigarette and vaping manufacturers is that vitamin E acetate was quite common among tested products. In fact, it was the only compound found in all tested samples. 

The CDC ran laboratory tests on bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid (a.k.a. fluid found in the lungs) of patients with e-cigarette and vaping injuries. Of the 29 patient samples submitted from 10 states, the CDC found vitamin E acetate in every sample, regardless of product or manufacturer. 

In addition, other potential toxins like plant oils, mineral oils, and terpenes were tested for. None of these chemicals of concern were identified in the BAL samples. 

This has strong implications for vitamin E acetate as a major culprit of concern in the outbreak. However, the CDC and FDA have cautioned that their investigations remain ongoing and they are still running lab tests on samples to check for a variety of other compounds. They have not named a single chemical, product, or manufacturer as the cause of the outbreak. 

Even so, vaping patients have options to make the road to recovery smoother. 

Your Next Steps

Investigations into the vaping outbreak remain ongoing, but vaping patients can still take steps in the meantime. While vitamin E acetate has not been named as the primary culprit, these new findings can help your case, as you can argue that vaping manufacturers put products on the market with components they knew to be unsafe, resulting in harm to you or a loved one. 

If you’re considering your options, we’re here to help. 

We know the struggle that families face when a major medical emergency strikes. We also know that no family should have to suffer because of a company’s negligence. When you come to us, you’ll get attorneys that go the extra mile to provide the knowledge and support your family needs—and the dedication it takes to be successful in your case. 

Let us fight for your family. Get in touch today to schedule your free consultation.