Recently, a college student reported at the emergency of PGIMER Chandigarh with persistent coughing, acute breathlessness and chest tightness. Initially mistaken for severe asthma, scans later revealed damage to the small airways of his lungs — a condition doctors warned resembled “popcorn lung”, where such airways are inflamed and scarred, making it difficult for oxygen to move in and out. This is a rare disease linked to chemicals used in flavoured vape liquids, the kind used for butter flavouring in popcorn factories, except at much higher levels. Cases like these are raising alarm as vaping gains popularity among Indian teenagers and young adults drawn to sweet flavours, sleek devices and social media trends. “Vaping is no longer just a trend but a challenge that families, schools and governments can no longer ignore,” says Dr Sonu Goel, professor, Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, PGIMER Chandigarh .…