USA: Vitamin E acetate and synthetic CBD blamed for vape pen crisis

Almost 380 cases of respiratory illness and 8 deaths in 36 US states are now suspected of being linked to the use of THC cartridges, mainly from the black market.

And while the analyses have not yet identified the product responsible with any certainty, they have identified two main contaminants: vitamin E acetate and CBD synthetic

Vitamin E acetate

Vitamin E actually refers to several similar types of oil called tocopherols, and comes in different chemical forms from alpha-tocopherol, the most common, to gamma-tocopherol. Tocopherols are commonly derived from corn and other vegetable oils, or are synthesized from petroleum, and differ from the natural version with an additional isomer. Vitamin E can be consumed as a dietary supplement, or incorporated into food or cosmetic products.

Vitamin E acetate is the ester form of tocopherol, more stable to oxidation and with a longer shelf life than tocopherol.

Whatever its form, vitamin E cannot be inhaled. Lipids are never good for the lungs, and cases of intoxication have been reported. since the 2000s. However, several reports indicate its presence in cartridges analyzed by health authorities.

New York State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker, said that acetate was present in «almost every cannabis-containing sample», and at «very high levels», making it «a key element» of the state's investigation. According to Zucker, vitamin E oil has not been found in nicotine products and is not an approved additive for medical cannabis products.

The Food and Drug Administration has also detected vitamin E acetate in the majority of cannabis products tested in other states.

As reported by Leafly, Vitamin E acetate has been used by illegal THC cartridge manufacturers to dilute THC without reducing viscosity. Several brands of acetate have been identified, often without specifying the conditions of use or the dangers of inhalation on the lungs, particularly if heated.

Synthetic CBD

THC cartridges aren't the only ones involved. As USA Today, cartridges containing synthetic CBD have sent dozens of people to the emergency room over the past two years. A recent study by’Associated Press, In the aftermath of the vape pen crisis, the company looked into products suspected of containing synthetic cannabinoids. 128 of the 350 products tested contained cannabinoids. Synthetic CBD.

Gelatin and other candies edibles accounted for 36 of the 128 incriminated products. The rest were vape pens. According to AP, most of the tests took place in southern states. And in Mississippi, labs detected fentanyl in some CBD-labeled products.

As the survey focused on suspect brands and products, its findings do not represent the entire CBD market. Still, the report highlights the dangers of untested cannabidiol products at a time when the U.S. is grappling with a series of vaping-related illnesses and deaths.