电子烟为什么引发肺部疾病？美国锁定了里面一种物质

Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration released new findings, reporting that vitamin E acetate appeared in a large portion of lung samples of people suffering from a vaping-related illness affecting 2,051 people.

疾病预防控制中心和美国食品药物管理局发布了新的研究结果，说在与电子烟有关的疾病的患者肺部样本中发现很多都含有维生素E醋酸酯，患病人数达2,051人。

E acetate is a form of vitamin E that’s often used in skincare products, but which has recently become a popular way of cutting cannabis in vaporizer cartridges. Both the CDC and the FDA had previously warned Americans against using THC vaping products until the source of the illness has been found.

维生素E醋酸酯是一种维生素E，常用于护肤品，但最近却常在汽化装置中被用于稀释大麻。疾病预防控制中心和美国食品药物管理局都曾警告美国人在查清病因前不要使用四氢大麻酚电子烟。

The CDC found vitamin E acetate in lung samples taken from 29 patients suffering from lung injury associated with e-cigarettes. “This is the first time that we have detected a potential chemical of concern in biologic samples from patients with these lung injuries,” the CDC wrote in its announcement. “These findings provide direct evidence of vitamin E acetate at the primary site of injury within the lungs.”

疾病预防控制中心发现从29个与电子烟有关的肺损伤病例中获取的肺部样本中发现了维生素E醋酸酯。该中心在公告中写道：“这是我们第一次在肺损伤患者的生物样本中检测到一种潜在的化学物质，检测结果提供了维生素E醋酸酯存在于肺损伤主要部位的直接证据”。

In addition to E acetate, the organization also identified THC, the psychoactive property in cannabis, in 82% of lung samples and nicotine in 62% of samples. The CDC says it tested for other chemicals, including plant oils, petroleum distillates, MCT oil, and terpenes, but was not able to detect them.

除了维生素E醋酸酯，该中心还在82%的肺部样本中发现了四氢大麻酚，在62%的样本中发现了尼古丁。四氢大麻酚是大麻中的精神活性物质。疾病预防控制中心称测试了其他化学物质，包括植物油、石油馏出物、中链甘油三酯和萜烯，但没有任何发现。

The Food and Drug Administration has also released preliminary lab results showing a strong presence of vitamin E acetate among nearly 600 lung samples. The administration found that the majority of samples taken from patients in 25 states contained THC. Half of the samples with THC also had vitamin E acetate; another 22% contained a different diluent.

美国食品药物管理局也公布了初步实验结果，发现在近600个肺部样本中大量存在维生素E醋酸酯。管理局发现收集到的25个州的病人样本中大部分都有四氢大麻酚。含有四氢大麻酚的样本中一半含有维生素E醋酸酯，另外22%含有另外一种稀释剂。

“Importantly, the variations of use patterns, products or substances reportedly used and the samples being tested may mean there are multiple causes of these injuries,” the FDA wrote in its report.

美国食品药物管理局在报告中写道：“重要的是，不同的使用模式、据报告患者使用的不同产品或物质以及不同的检测样本可能意味着这些损伤是由多种原因造成的。”

The lab results may tie the disease more closely to marijuana vaping products. They also confirm suspicions first raised by New York State’s Department of Health in September that vitamin E acetate had a role in the disease. The agency found high levels of vitamin E acetate in a portion of patients in New York who contracted the disease.

实验室的研究结果可能发现这种疾病与大麻电子烟有着更密切的联系。他们也证实了纽约州卫生部九月份首次提出的怀疑，他们怀疑这一疾病与维生素E醋酸酯有关。该机构发现纽约的一部分患者体内维生素E醋酸酯水平较高。

Though these new findings provide some insight into the vaping illness, the investigation will continue.

虽然这些新的研究结果让我们对电子烟导致的疾病有了一些了解，但调查仍在继续。