American-made vaping products—produced by companies that have fully complied with the FDA’s own guidance and the PMTA process—are now being seized nationwide. For more than five years, VTA has warned the agency of flaws in its regulatory system, yet the FDA refuses to engage with stakeholders—an irresponsible course of action that now threatens the bankruptcy of hundreds of thousands of small businesses nationwide.

As of today, the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Attorney General are holding a press conference at a vape distribution center in Illinois to highlight their seizures. In Illinois alone, the vape industry produces an economic output of over $544 million and supports 2,666 jobs. Vapor businesses have paid over $175,998,400 in wages and benefits to their employees in the state and generated $92,383,700 in state and local tax revenue. 

If this course of action continues, it will immediately wipe out 150,000 American small businesses and eliminate 90,000 jobs across the country. The result: a catastrophic loss of over $5 billion in state, local, and federal tax revenue this year alone—ballooning to $20 billion over the course of President Donald Trump’s second term. The vaping industry currently contributes more than $17 billion annually to the U.S. economy, and that economic engine will vanish overnight. 

The consequences of this reckless course of action cannot be overstated. This is not only an assault on public health—it is an assault on American workers, small businesses, and the tax base that supports our communities. 

The actions of HHS and the DOJ are detrimental to the state, local, and federal economies, and they must reverse course immediately.

Statement attributable to Tony Abboud, Executive Director of the Vapor Technology Association.

Today’s media outlets, government officials, and elected representatives continue to falsely link vaping nicotine (i.e., e-cigarettes) to condition called “popcorn lung.” Worse, these views are likely caused by disinformation pushed by “public health groups” such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Lung Association.

“There have been no confirmed cases of popcorn lung in people who use e-cigarettes.”  

Health Agencies Have Declared Popcorn Lung a Myth

The UK’s National Health Services “Vaping myths and the facts” page says: 

“Fact: Vaping does not cause “popcorn lung”, the common name for a rare disease called bronchiolitis obliterans. The disease was found in a group of factory workers exposed to a chemical (diacetyl) used to flavour popcorn. Diacetyl is contained in cigarette smoke, but it is banned as an ingredient in UK-regulated nicotine vapes and e-liquids.”

Similarly, the Government of Canada’s Health Canada “Risks of vaping” page states: 

“Did you know?
Vaping is not known to cause Popcorn lung.  Bronchiolitis obliterans (also known as “Popcorn lung”), a chronic disease that damages the small airways in the lungs, has been linked to diacetyl exposure. Diacetyl is a flavouring chemical used to give butter-like and other flavours to food. While once common in vaping products, researchers at Health Canada have in recent years found diacetyl in only 2 samples out of more than 800 vaping liquids available in Canada. To date, there have been no confirmed cases of popcorn lung disease as a result of vaping in Canada.” 

To put a finer point on it, Cancer Research UK Confirms Popcorn Lung a Myth:

“Does vaping cause popcorn lung?

• E-cigarettes don’t cause the lung condition known as popcorn lung
• There have been no confirmed cases of popcorn lung reported in people who use e-cigarettes
• E-cigarettes are an option to help people who smoke to stop”

“A Sensational Idea”

This article from the Reason Foundation further debunks the myth that vaping causes popcorn lung and explains how the myth started and why it remains. 

Many years ago, a Harvard Study found the substance that causes popcorn lung – diacetyl – present in some e-cigarettes but at very low levels (9 micrograms per cartridge on average).  And that is all that the media needed to promote this “sensational idea.” But, as explained by the Reason Foundation, manufacturers stopped using diacetyl in the U.S. voluntarily many years ago.  

Today’s Cigarettes Contain 750 Times the Amount of Diacetyl of Versions of E-Cigarettes;  And Still No Popcorn Lung

Combustible cigarettes that are being sold in gas stations, convenience stores, pharmacies and grocery stores throughout the U.S. have been found to contain 336 micrograms of diacetyl in each cigarette. There is no comparison between the level of expsoure to diacetyl in cigarettes compared to vapes, and still there has been no link between smoking cigarettes and “popcorn lung.”

“The 2015 Harvard study, for example, found an average of nine micrograms of diacetyl per e-cigarette cartridge in the samples that tested positive for the chemical. Combustible cigarettes, meanwhile, contain approximately 336 micrograms of diacetyl per cigarette. This means that a cartridge-per-day vaper would be exposed to just nine micrograms of diacetyl, while pack-per-day smokers are exposed to more than 6,700 micrograms of diacetyl every day—750 times more diacetyl exposure than vapers. Yet, a link between smoking and popcorn lung has yet to materialize.”