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JUUL Pods Overview
JUUL pods are non refillable cartridges that clicks to the top of an e-cigarette device, which contains a highly potent nicotine e-liquid formula.
The products are growing in popularity, however, the FDA recently announced that JUUL products have been linked to several cases of seizures in youth and young adults.
What are JUUL Pods?
JUUL is a new brand of e-cigarettes and have become very popular in youth culture. JUUL products are one of the most popular vaping devices in the United States, and is reportedly promoted as an alternative to combustible cigarettes and other e-cigarette or vaping products.
Like other e-cigarette products, JUUL pods contain a liquid consisting of nicotine, flavoring or other chemicals, which is then heated by the device and converted into vapor. Due to how reportedly easy these products are to use and the flavors the JUUL pods come in, they have become very popular among teenagers.
JUUL products come in the shape of a USB drive, and work by heating and converting e-liquid into vapors, which are then inhaled by the user.
One of the primary reasons for the popularity of these products with teens stems from their user friendly nature, requiring no prior experience or knowledge. All users have to do is put the JUUL e-cigarette in their mouth and inhale. In addition, JUUL products are rechargeable to the same outlets as laptops or wall chargers, which are further increases their appeal to a younger audience.
Overview of JUUL Pod Dangers
The rise of JUUL products has greatly concerned health officials because of nicotine content. The pods reportedly contain more than twice the amount of nicotine concentrate compared to other e-cigarettes on the market.
This is because JUUL pods contain nicotine salts instead of tobacco leaves, which are absorbed into the body at the same rate as nicotine from a combustible cigarette. In fact, the amount of nicotine in these pods is the same as a whole pack of cigarettes, and teens often use multiple pods in one sitting.
In 2016, the FDA started regulating e-cigarettes like JUUL products, but manufacturers have been reportedly allowed to postpone their applications for FDA approval until August 2022. This means that these devices are on the market, with more teens and adolescents becoming addicted to nicotine.
According to a company statement from JUUL, their products are supposed to “[improve] the lives on one billion adult smokers,” but most of their advertisements is aimed at young adults. JUUL users have also spread the word on their various social media account including #doit4Juul on YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram, where numerous younger people are exposed to it.
In fact, one recent study published in BMJ’s Tobacco Control journal indicates that younger users aged 15-24 were not aware the JUUL pods contained nicotine.
Seizure Link
In addition to the lack of awareness surrounding JUUL pods, the FDA recently announced these products have been linked to seizures in teens and young adults. The FDA has been receiving voluntary adverse experience reports regarding tobacco products in 1988, and recently became concerned in June 2018 when injury reports of seizures were reported.
More specifically, the agency observed a slightly increased incidence rate of seizures in correlation with e-cigarette products, based on the time frame of the submissions.
In the meantime, the FDA is advising consumers and parents that some of the newest e-cigarette products like JUUL contain high nicotine levels, and have emissions that are difficult to see. Class action lawsuits filed against the manufacturer say the same. Overall, awareness and consumer education will be vital in this ongoing epidemic.
