The city of Denver has joined a multi-district litigation against Juul Labs, alleging in part that the company hid the negative health effects of Juul from the public.

The MDL also alleges Juul illegally marketed e-cigarettes to children through social media sites and through the manufacture of fruity, sugary flavors that appealed to kids.

Home of the highest rate of youth vaping in the nation, Colorado notes the counties of Boulder, Eagle and Pitkin also have joined the MDL, along with local governments and school districts from other states.

According to DenverPublicHealth.org, one in five Denver teenagers vapes, and the rate of vaping among Colorado’s youth is twice the national average.

Despite vaping juices containing nicotine and host of other toxic chemicals, only about half of Colorado teens believe vaping is “risky,” according to Denver Public Health.

Denver City Attorney Kristin Bronson told CPR.org, “We’re hoping to get the word out to our young people that vaping and e-cigarettes are not safe, they are not a healthy alternative, that there are serious health risks.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns e-cigarettes can contain many harmful and potentially dangerous chemicals besides nicotine. The CDC says Juul and other brands of e-cigarette vaping products may contain:

• Ultrafine particles that can damage the lung tissue
• Diacetyl, a flavoring linked to popcorn lung, a serious lung disease
• Volatile organic compounds
• Cancer-causing chemicals
• Heavy metals that include nickel, tin and lead

“It is difficult for consumers to know what e-cigarette products contain,” says the CDC. “For example, some e-cigarettes marketed as containing zero percent nicotine have been found to contain nicotine.”

Authorities See Negative Health Effects of Juul

About the same time Denver announced it was joining the MDL against Juul, the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office in Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit against Juul Labs, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“Through the use of new technologies and deceptive and predatory marketing to children via social media, Juul has turned a generation into addicts unwittingly,” District Attorney Matthew D. Weintraub said at a press conference. “E-cigarettes are responsible for the largest increase in teen substance abuse in decades.”

The Philadelphia Inquirer said the press conference offered the opportunity for school officials to talk about the toll the vaping epidemic is taking on students.

Students have admitted to vaping up to 60 times a day and feeling so addicted they can’t quit, said Carol Klein, who works as a nurse in the Central Bucks School District. She said students have admitted to “ghosting” as they vape, which means they inhale an e-cigarette in class and swallow the vapor so they don’t get caught.

High blood pressure and seizures caused by students’ use of nicotine have resulted in more 911 calls and emergency room trips than the school has ever seen, said Klein. Most of the students don’t realize the onset of these negative health effects of Juul and other e-cigarette brands are caused by high doses of nicotine.

According to the CDC, more than five million U.S. middle and high school students reported using e-cigarettes in the past 30 days when surveyed in 2019, equaling more than 10 percent of middle school students and more than 27 percent of high school students.

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If you or your child suffered seizures after vaping with a JUUL e-cigarette, you may benefit from participating in a free JUUL class action lawsuit investigation.

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