A new study carried out by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) has found that e-cigarette products made by Juul Labs may be contaminated with microbial toxins. According to HSPH, these contaminated Juul pods can lead to serious long-term lung damage.

Specifically, the study found components of fungal cells in roughly half of the products they tested. More concerning, the study found particularly high levels of the toxin in two of the most popular flavors available: tobacco and menthol.

The study was co-authored by Mi-Sun Lee, research associate with the Department of Environmental Health, and David Christiani, Elkan Blout Professor of Environmental Genetics. The study’s findings echo those of a similar study carried out by HSPH earlier in 2019. That study found traces of bacterial and fungal toxins in up to 81 percent of the products sampled and tested. Both of these studies join other scientific information on the potential risks of using e-cigarettes and other vape products.

Types of Toxins

According to HSPH, studies have found two types of microbial toxins in the contaminated Juul pods: “endotoxin, a microbial agent found on Gram-negative bacteria, and glucan, a component of fungal cell walls.” Endotoxin and glucan can both lead to serious health problems for those facing extended exposure.

“Airborne Gram-negative bacterial endotoxin and fungal-derived glucans have been shown to cause acute and chronic respiratory effects in occupational and environmental settings,” Christiani told Science Daily. “Finding these toxins in e-cigarette products adds to the growing concerns about the potential for adverse respiratory effects in users.”

The original study found endotoxins in 23 percent of samples and glucan in 81 percent of samples. Additional findings of the original study included that cartridges had more than 3 times as much glucan than e-liquid samples. The recent study found that endotoxin levels in the contaminated Juul pods were too low to be detected, but 46 percent of the samples contained detectable levels of glucan.

Dangerous Flavors

Both the recent and original study found much higher levels of glucan in tobacco and menthol flavored contaminated Juul pods. According to Helio, the recent study used accumulated data from previous studies and found that tobacco-flavored pods had levels of glucan 78 times higher than other flavors while menthol-flavored pods had levels 34 times higher. Christiani told HSPH he is unsure why these flavors have higher contamination levels.

This trend is particularly concerning given the fact that all other flavors have been taken off the market due to claims they were marketed at children. Helio reports that Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar ordered a ban on unauthorized flavored e-cigarettes early this year. Tobacco and menthol flavors were the only exceptions given.

“We’ve developed a smart, targeted policy that protects our kids,” Azar told reporters on a teleconference call. “The policy also keeps options available for adults to transition away from combustible cigarettes and ensures swift review of applications for products to return to the market in a form that protects public health.”

Risks of Contaminated Juul Pods

According to Christiani, the glucan found in the contaminated Juul pods is not related to the string of vaping-related illnesses that began springing up across the country in 2019. These illnesses were primarily related to vaping liquids that are sold on the black-market containing marijuana and Vitamin E acetate, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, that doesn’t mean that these contaminated Juul pods aren’t dangerous.

Those who undergo prolonged exposure to endotoxins and glucan from e-cigarettes can face serious respiratory issues. Specifically, users may develop asthma, inflammation, or reduced lung function.

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