[6] Vernonia oil has been proposed as a precursor to adhesives, varnishes and paints, and industrial coatings.

Its low viscosity makes it more desirable than fully epoxidized linseed or soybean oils.

[9] In a variety of mammalian species, vernolic acid is made by the metabolism of linoleic acid by cytochrome P450 epoxygenase enzymes; under these circumstances it is termed leukotoxin because of its toxic effects on leukocytes and other cell types and of its ability to produce multiple organ failure and respiratory distress when injected into rodent animal models of the acute respiratory distress syndrome.

For instance, (12S,13R)-EpOME is converted by soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) to (12R,13R)-dihydroxy-9Z-octadecenoic acid due to inversion at C12 carbon atom during hydrolysis.

A mixture of this dihydroxy acid with its 12S,13S enantiomer has been termed isoleukotoxin diol.[13][11][14]: Fig.