An Overview of Juul Dangers Facing Youth

The generation that finally seemed to understand smoking cigarettes is a harmful habit has basically refused to listen that Juul dangers can be just as bad or even worse. Sweet-flavored e-juices and a slick youth-oriented marketing blast combined with Juul’s sleek design have hooked millions of kids throughout the U.S.

Juul Definition

Ten years ago, the word Juul wasn’t even in our vocabulary. Today, “Juuling” is what a majority of young people call vaping. The e-cigarette brand has become so popular that its name is synonymous with the action of using it.

The Juul device is an e-cigarette that looks sleek, compact and very much like a USB drive. The very first e-cigarette devices were big and clunky and had contained batteries that rarely, but dangerously, sometimes caught fire and exploded.

Juul Labs began marketing the Juul e-cigarette as the new, cool alternative to not only traditional cigarettes, but also to the clunky e-cigarette devices that made up its competition. Many youth don’t realize that one Juul pod has more nicotine than an entire 20-pack of average regular cigarettes.

Despite its diminutive appearance, the Juul vaping liquids pack a punch. When the Juul device heats up a vaping e-liquid that is sold in a special disposable cartridge called a Juul pod, the resulting vapor contains up to five percent nicotine by volume. Just to compare, Juul competitor Blu brand e-cigarette cartridges deliver 2.4 percent nicotine.

Juul Health Risks

When e-cigarettes first hit the market, the devices were unique. Because the user breathed in and blew out vapor instead of smoke, many people thought the vapor was simply flavored water. Instead, high doses of nicotine and nearly 100 other potentially toxic substances and confirmed carcinogens are breathed in and out, and in by second-hand vapor, every day.

In fact, the amount of nicotine the Juul user obtains is so high and at such a fast rate, Juul users have suffered seizures. Convulsions are a known side effect of nicotine toxicity because too much can cause signaling overload among the brain’s synapses.

Nicotine is able to imitate chemicals in the brain, which means nicotine changes the chemical functioning of the brain, according to Healthline.com.

Because nicotine arrives to the brain in a shape that looks very much like a neurotransmitter, nicotine can increase signaling in the brain and cause the user to become full of energy. Nicotine also artificially increases the dopamine levels in the brain, stimulating the quadrants of the brain associated with pleasure and rewards.

One reason that cigarette smokers are less apt to experience nicotine-induced seizures is that they naturally pause between puffs due to the “throat hit” that burns the back of their throats. Juul uses a patented nicotine formulation they call JuulSalts, a type of nicotine salt that allows the user to puff more frequently with less throat irritation. Thus, the Juul dangers include receiving more nicotine at a faster pace.

E-cigarette seizures have been reported among new users who have taken just a few puffs or completed just one day of use. The FDA tracks seizures affiliated with e-cigs through a self-reporting, voluntary system, which leads the agency to believe more cases of Juul-related seizures are probable than the dozens they have received.

Even if a youth does not experience a seizure, that doesn’t mean the child’s brain is immune from nicotine side effects. The sheer fact that kids become addicted to nicotine while their brains are still developing means they are more apt to become addicted to other substances later in life.

Besides nicotine, Juul pods allegedly contain a variety of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that may irritate the throat, lungs, eyes and nose. VOCs also put the liver, kidney and nervous system in danger of damage and can cause headaches and nausea.

When an e-liquid overheats or there is little vaping e-liquid left in the cartridge, the user may inhale the carcinogen formaldehyde during this “dry-puff.”

In May 2019, the Stanford School of Medicine published a study linking e-liquids in Juuls and other e-cigarettes to an increase risk of heart disease. Led by Joseph Wu, director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, the researchers found that a link between e-liquid exposure and DNA damage in endothelial cells, resulting in cellular death. Damage to the endothelials, which line the inside of blood vessels, occurred even when nicotine was taken out of the tested e-liquids.

“The study clearly shows that e-cigarettes are not a safe alternative to traditional cigarettes. We saw significant damage,” said Wu in a press release.

Dr. Lawrence Weinstein, chief medical officer of American Addiction Centers spoke with CNET about a study that determined e-cig users were 56 percent more apt to have a heart attack and 30 percent more apt to suffer a stroke compared with non-vapers.

How Common is Teen Vaping?

One in five high school students and one in 20 middle school students reported vaping in 2018, according to the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In December 2017, the American Journal of Medicine published a study by the University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences that said young adults who use e-cigarettes are over four times more likely to switch to smoking regular cigarettes within 18 months compare to fellow young adults who have never vaped.

Juul  FDA Investigation

The FDA is assembling information to determine the common risk factors among people who use e-cigarettes and whether the products contribute to seizure episodes.

If you or someone you know has suffered unexpected or a sudden onset of health issues that may be related to using e-cigarettes, you’re encouraged to report the situation to the FDA through the Safety Reporting Portal.

The FDA will want the information to be as specific as possible, including the brand of e-cig, the model and serial numbers of the device and of the e-liquids; where the items were purchased. The FDA also will need to know if other medications or supplements were consumed by the person who suffered the seizure and how long the person has vaped.

How to File a Juul Lawsuit

A 22-year-old man from Connecticut was the first person to file a lawsuit against Juul over the development of a serious medical issue linked to Juuling.

Maxwell Berger said he became addicted to Juul in the summer of 2015, and by 2017, he was Juuling every ten minutes, using two cartridges a day.

Berger suffered a massive stroke in July 2017. He had to undergo three brain surgeries, spend more than three months in the hospital and suffers permanent injuries, according to the lawsuit.

In some cases, groups are filing class action lawsuits over Juul dangers and the monetary resources needed to combat the rise of teen and pre-teen vaping.

If you or someone you know has suffered from a seizure, stroke or any other medical malady that appears related to Juul use, you could qualify to participate in this class action lawsuit investigation.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented 
for informational purposes only.