hygroscopic glycerol - lipid pneumonia - (Jun/18/2015 )

Hi. 

I'm trying to understand if heated and inhaled glycerol (vegetable glycerine) can cause lipid pneumonia.  It is said that it can't because glycerol is an alcohol, not a lipid.  But I have a feeling that it can.

Glycerol is the backbone of triglycerides.  Triglycerides are the main ingredient in vegetable oils.  Vegetable glycerin is a carbohydrate derived from plant oils.  Vegetable glycerin, or glycerol, is a clear, odorless liquid produced from plant oils, typically palm oil, soy, or coconut oil.

With that said, can't I say that yes, inhaled glycerol can cause lipid pneumonia? 

If anybody is interested in discussing I would be so thankful. 

glycerol is also derived from animal sources as well as chemically synthesized. it's not just from plants.

i suspect you ask this question because glycerol is used as a carrier in e-cigarettes. i think it is unlikely to cause lipid pneumonia because it can be absorbed and shouldn't build up in the lungs.

mdfenko on Fri Jun 19 11:41:11 2015 said:

glycerol is also derived from animal sources as well as chemically synthesized. it's not just from plants.

 

i suspect you ask this question because glycerol is used as a carrier in e-cigarettes. i think it is unlikely to cause lipid pneumonia because it can be absorbed and shouldn't build up in the lungs.

Hi, thanks for the reply.

Yes, my question is about the claim that vaping on electronic cigarettes caused lipid pneumonia. 

In addition to vegetable glycerine, propylene glycol is another main ingredient in electronic cigarette liquids. 

If propylene glycol is a lipid solvent, I'm wondering if vaping provokes a catabolic response resulting in endogenous lipid pneumonia. Because the inhalants are alcohols and not lipids it can't be considered exogenous lipid pneumonia (such as, inhaling kerosene).

Ethanol is used as a sweetener in the liquids.  It's also a lipid solvent. 

I'm probably entirely mistaken but I'm very intrigued by the diagnosis. 

propylene glycol is not toxic at the amount present in e-cigarettes. it is metabolized by the body.

i don't think that it is responsible for lipid pneumonia either.

mdfenko on Mon Jun 22 14:37:35 2015 said:

propylene glycol is not toxic at the amount present in e-cigarettes. it is metabolized by the body.

 

i don't think that it is responsible for lipid pneumonia either.

Hi again, thanks for the reply.

I've since learned that the patient who was diagnosed with lipid pneumonia (also spelled lipoid pneumonia) had "high lipid levels".  That is just what I thought. 

People say that if use of electronic cigarettes could cause pneumonia there would be hundreds or thousands of cases by now.  I think there are that many cases of pneumonia but it's going under-reported.  It's a condition known to e-cig users as "heavy lung".  It seems to me that "heavy lung" is a form of pneumonia (likely, chemical pneumonia) and many people develop the condition.

I think the woman who was diagnosed with lipid pneumonia was diagnosed correctly but instead of exogenous it would be endogenous.

I have a thread in another forum here: http://biology-forums.com/index.php?topic=309329.0.msg867593#msg867593

I have two comments on Dr. Siegel's blog here:  http://tobaccoanalysis.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/german-cancer-research-center-corrects.html

it's possible that some of the damage caused by vaping is physical rather than chemical (eg heat).

also, glycerol is not just from vegetable sources. it is the same in animals as in plants. you can just call it glycerol or glycerin or glycerine.