With a recent uptick in vaping-related illnesses, teens and parents should be aware of the harmful side effects of JUUL usage.

As many as 22 teenagers have reportedly been hospitalized for an unidentified respiratory illness in Illinois. Some of the young adults have been put on ventilators due to their breathing difficulties. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, as reported by the Hamilton Spectator, ten of the cases have been linked to the use of e-cigarettes. The remaining 12 cases are reportedly under investigation.

According to CNET.com, JUUL Labs’ CEO Kevin Burns has called the health issues “worrisome” and gave a direct message to non-smokers: “Don’t vape. Don’t use JUUL.” Amid older concerns about the harmful side effects of JUUL usage, JUUL Labs has recently taken a strong stance that their products are not designed for non-smokers and should only be used by smokers as an alternative to traditional cigarettes.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also responded to these illnesses and encourages teenagers to stop purchasing street cannabis vaping products according to the New York Times. These products may be illegally manufactured to allow for the vaping of THC derived from cannabis oil.

Although cannabis oil is used in CBD and state-sanctioned THC products, oil is not designed for inhalation. If any oil is found in street marijuana vape liquid, or in manufactured nicotine products, oil droplets can be inhaled – leading to breathing problems and inflammation in the lungs.

Former U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb reportedly suspects that these illnesses are related to illicit products. Because prominent e-cigarette manufacturers have not made wide-scale changes to their products, the problem may come from illegal products and modified devices.

“It’s probably something new that has been introduced into the market by an illegal manufacturer, either a new flavor or a new way to emulsify THC that is causing these injuries,” Gottlieb said, according to the New York Times.

Even if these cases of mystery lung illness are caused by illegal vaping products, the harmful side effects of JUUL and e-cigarette usage can’t be overlooked.

Most e-cigarettes give a significant amount of nicotine, with one JUUL pod giving as much nicotine as is contained in a single pack of cigarettes. This may lead to a nicotine addiction, increasing dependency on vape products, and increasing the chance that consumers will eventually smoke cigarettes.

Other concerns about JUUL side effects stem from the fact that the e-cigarette industry is largely unregulated. Although the FDA will soon take over the regulation of the e-cigarette industry, current products simply haven’t been studied enough to be proven safe.

Any number of chemicals may be found in vape juice and, because of the relative novelty of e-cigarettes, there hasn’t been enough time to study long term side effects of inhaling the aerosolized versions of these chemicals.

The lack of study and information is part of what makes these mystery vape illnesses so concerning. Doctors don’t know what their patients have been exposed to and lack the scientific evidence to understand why these chemicals may be harmful to patients.