New research reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in collaboration with The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, strengthens prior findings on the link between vitamin E acetate and E-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI).

In this new study, the CDC analyzed bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid from 51 lung injured patients from 16 states and compared it to BAL fluid from 99 healthy individuals.

Vitamin E acetate, also found in product samples tested by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and state laboratories, was identified in BAL fluid from 48 of the 51 EVALI patients but was not found in BAL fluid from healthy people.

No other toxicants were found in BAL fluid from either group.

"These findings support the conclusion that vitamin E acetate is a potential causative agent of EVALI, and that is an important discovery as decisions are made about how to best regulate the rapidly evolving e-cig industry," said the deputy director of the OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center.

In October 2019, the OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center reported the first evidence that even short-term vaping causes concerning inflammation in the lungs in the medical journal Cancer Prevention Research.

Additional data was reported on Dec. 17, 2019, which finds that the smoking-related damage in e-cig users is much less than smokers and more similar to never-smokers.

Recruitment is ongoing for e-cigarette and THC vaping studies at the OSU Cancer Center.

The study protocol recently expanded to include evaluation of THC and marijuana vapors in qualifying participants ages 18 or older.

Numerous mechanisms are in place to maintain confidentiality.

For more information about the evaluation and other tobacco product studies, visit go.osu.edu/tobacco-research, contact 844-744-2447, or email Ecigstudy@osumc.edu.

To learn more about tobacco-related research studies at Ohio State, visit cph.osu.edu/cats.