電子煙爲什麼引發肺部疾病?

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.

疾病預防控制中心和美國食品藥物管理局發佈了新的研究結果，說在與電子煙有關的疾病的患者肺部樣本中發現很多都含有維生素E醋酸酯，患病人數達2051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.

維生素E醋酸酯是一種維生素E，常用於護膚品，但最近卻常在汽化裝置中被用於稀釋大麻。疾病預防控制中心和美國食品藥物管理局都曾警告美國人在查清病因前不要使用四氫大麻酚電子煙。

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."

疾病預防控制中心發現從29個與電子煙有關的肺損傷病例中獲取的肺部樣本中發現了維生素E醋酸酯。該中心在公告中寫道：“這是我們第一次在肺損傷患者的生物樣本中檢測到一種潛在的化學物質，檢測結果提供了維生素E醋酸酯存在於肺損傷主要部位的直接證據。”

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.

除了維生素E醋酸酯，該中心還在82%的肺部樣本中發現了四氫大麻酚，在62%的樣本中發現了尼古丁。四氫大麻酚是大麻中的精神活性物質。疾病預防控制中心稱測試了其他化學物質，包括植物油、石油餾出物、中鏈甘油三酯和萜烯，但沒有任何發現。

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.

美國食品藥物管理局也公佈了初步實驗結果，發現在近600個肺部樣本中大量存在維生素E醋酸酯。管理局發現收集到的25個州的病人樣本中大部分都有四氫大麻酚。含有四氫大麻酚的樣本中一半含有維生素E醋酸酯，另外22%含有另外一種稀釋劑。

"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.

美國食品藥物管理局在報告中寫道：“重要的是，不同的使用模式、據報告患者使用的不同產品或物質以及不同的檢測樣本可能意味着這些損傷是由多種原因造成的。”

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.

實驗室的研究結果可能發現這種疾病與大麻電子煙有着更密切的聯繫。他們也證實了紐約州衛生部九月份首次提出的懷疑，他們懷疑這一疾病與維生素E醋酸酯有關。該機構發現紐約的一部分患者體內維生素E醋酸酯水平較高。

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

雖然這些新的研究結果讓我們對電子煙導致的疾病有了一些瞭解，但調查仍在繼續。