E-cigarettes were seen by many as the way to get people to stop smoking traditional cigarettes. While they may have been successful in that regard, that does not necessarily mean they are any safer. Worse, products like Juul have now caused an epidemic in vaping amongst the youth in this country. Where teenage smoking was on the decline, e-cigarette use in youth is dramatically increased.
What has been in the news?
The news has been awash with stories about Juul and other e-cigarette issues. Recently, the CEO of Juul, Kevin Burns, came out and told non-smokers to stop using his product. “Don’t vape. Don’t use Juul,” he said.
He went on to say that the long-term effects of vaping are not known. The CDC and other US agencies are now looking into a string of serious lung diseases that may be linked to vaping.
What makes Juul different?
Vaping a Juul is similar to other vape devices, but the e-liquid used is 5% nicotine by volume, much more than other vaping products on the market. Researchers say that this increases the chance of addiction. In fact, a study by the UK’s Royal College of Psychiatrists showed that nicotine is as addictive as cocaine.
Of particular concern is the effect of Juuling on the development of the adolescent brain. The amount of nicotine in one Juul pod is equivalent to the amount found in an entire pack of cigarettes. Many teens and adults finish an entire pod in one sitting. Juul also uses “nicotine salts” as opposed to “freebase nicotine” in their liquid pods. This makes the nicotine easier to absorb in the bloodstream and causes the vapor to be less harsh, allowing for more to be inhaled for longer periods of time.
E-cigarette manufacturers have until August 2022 to submit their applications for approval to the FDA. In the meantime, these products remain largely unregulated.
Class action lawsuit filed against Juul
A recent class-action lawsuit was filed against Juul and Altri/Philip Morris. The named plaintiffs in the case include a 15-year-old Florida girl who began using Juul when she was 14, as well as her parents. She became addicted to the product because she did not understand it’s addictive potential and she also had seizures due to swallowing the e-liquid nicotine.
- The lawsuit discusses the “e-cigarette epidemic” using FDA and CDC statements.
- The complaint says that Juul “fraudulently concealed safety information about how much nicotine Juul contains or delivers, and about how addictive its e-cigarettes are.”
- Juul has not been approved as a smoking therapy and has not been found to be safe and effective by the FDA for smoking cessation.
Juul CEO says that if they knew their products were dangerous or toxic, they would not sell them. As we discover more and more health risks associated with these products, we wonder how long he will continue saying that.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) just recently posted a warning to all consumers of e-cigarettes in the US. They are studying the outbreak of severe pulmonary disease associated with e-cigarette product use.
- As of August 27, 2019, there have been 215 possible cases of severe pulmonary disease associated with electronic cigarette usage.
- Once the study is underway, they expect to find many more cases.
If you believe Juul caused significant health issues to you or a loved one, contact a Philadelphia personal injury attorney at Ciccarelli Law Offices.