The Dangers of Juuling (2024)

John-Anthony Fraga, National Center for Health Research

What is Juuling? Is it Safer Than Smoking?

A new type of e-cigarette called “juul” has become so popular that it is now about 68% of the $2 billion e-cigarette market. The “juul” is especially popular among children and young adults due to its sleek and discreet design, its ability to be recharged on a laptop or wall charger within one hour, and its liquid-filled cartridges that come in popular flavors like cool mint, creme brulee, and fruit medley.

As of February 2020, 68 deaths and more than 2,800 cases of serious lung illness related to e-cigarettes have been reported to the CDC.^[11] It was not initially known whether those harmed had used juul devices. However, these reports state that all types of e-cigarettes were used by the teens and adults who were harmed by vaping,^[10] so the risks of “juuling” need to be carefully and immediately studied.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the risks of e-cigarettes. Youths aged 13-24 years old who have used e-cigarettes are more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19, be tested for the virus, and to experience Covid-19 symptoms.^[13]

Juuling has become very common at teenage hangouts and even at school. Medical professionals are very concerned because juul delivers higher concentrations of nicotine than other e-cigarettes. Not only is nicotine highly addictive, but it is also toxic to fetuses and is known to impair brain and lung development if used during adolescence.^[1] It is not replacing cigarette smoking but rather encouraging it: A 2017 study found that non-smoking adults were four times more likely to start smoking traditional cigarettes after only 18 months of vaping, which includes “juuling.”^[2]

For more information about e-cigarettes, check out our article here.

How Does the Juul Work?

According to Juul Labs, the company that owns and sells the juul e-cigarette, the device uses an internal, regulated heating mechanism that creates an easily inhaled aerosol. This mechanism prevents the batteries in the juul from overheating and exploding, which has been a problem for other brands of e-cigarettes. Juul is easy to use because there are no settings to adjust or control. All that is required is a non-refillable juul pod cartridge that clicks into the top of the juul and contains a nicotine e-liquid formula. This e-liquid is heated and converted into vapors that are inhaled by the user. One of the reasons it is so popular among youth is that it is so easy to use – no prior experience or knowledge required. All they have to do to intake nicotine is to put a juul to their mouth and inhale.

What Makes Juuls Different from Other E-Cigarettes?

The increased harm of juuls compared to other e-cigarettes is due to the concentration and contents of its juul pods. The e-liquid is 5% nicotine by volume, which is more than twice the concentration of nicotine in similar devices like the Blu e-cig cartridge (2.4% nicotine). This increases the risk of addiction; in fact, a study done by the UK’s Royal College of Psychiatrists showed that nicotine is about as addictive as cocaine and even more addictive than alcohol and barbiturates (anti-anxiety drugs).^[3]

In November 2019, researchers at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles and their colleagues reported their research suggesting that e-cigarettes may be even more risky than traditional cigarettes in terms of both the heart and lungs. This study is different than the research on teens and adults hospitalized due to vaping, and is not related to marijuana vaping products. The people in the study averaged 28 years old and did not have symptoms. The researchers compared people who vape, people who smoke regular cigarettes, and people who do neither.^[12] What makes e-cigarettes so harmful to the heart and lungs is not just nicotine,” said senior author Dr. Florian Rader. “It’s the completely unknown bucket of manufactured products used to form vapors that is likely causing the most harm. This is what we believe is underlying the current public health problem.”

The impact on the developing brain is also of great concern. Brain imaging studies of adolescents who began smoking at a young age had markedly reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, an area critical for a person’s cognitive behavior and decision making, leading to increased sensitivity to other drugs and greater impulsivity.^[4] While cigarettes include numerous other toxic chemicals that may contribute to these effects, other research on nicotine and brain development demonstrate that the nicotine is probably the main cause.^[1][5]

The amount of nicotine in one juul pod is equivalent to a pack of cigarettes. Since teens often use multiple pods in one sitting, they can unknowingly become exposed to unsafe levels of nicotine that can have immediate and long-term health consequences. In 2016, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was given the authority to regulate e-cigarettes such as juul but has allowed e-cigarette manufacturers to postpone their applications for FDA approval until August 2022. Meanwhile, these harmful devices can remain on the market and continue influencing adolescents to become addicted to nicotine.^[6]

Another reason why the juul is a unique threat to teens is its patented formula of nicotine. While other brands use a chemically modified form called “freebase nicotine,” juuls use “nicotine salts” that more closely resemble the natural structure of nicotine found in tobacco leaves. This makes the nicotine more readily absorbed into the bloodstream and makes the vapor less harsh so that it is easier to inhale more nicotine for longer periods of time.

In addition to this patented formula, juul pods contain a greater amount of benzoic acid, 44.8 mg/mL, compared to other e-cigarette brands, which are in the range of 0.2 to 2 mg/mL. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), benzoic acid is known to cause coughs, sore throat, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting if exposure is constant, which is the case when using a juul.^[7] This is due to how juuls utilize the properties of benzoic acid to increase the potency of the nicotine salts in its e-liquid.

What Makes Juuls Popular Among Children and Teens?

Since juuls are small, discreet, and closely resemble a USB drive, they can be easily hidden and used in a wide variety of settings, such as the classroom. Teachers and school administrators across the nation are finding students juuling when their backs are turned: Students can take a hit, blow the small, odorless puff of smoke into their jacket or backpack, and continue their school work in a matter of seconds. Compared to other forms of teenage rebellion, juuling is especially dangerous as middle and high school students are unknowingly becoming addicted to nicotine at an alarming rate.

Because a person must be at least 21 to purchase a juul or juul pod, a juul black market is the source for many teens, through eBay or Craigslist. In response, the FDA contacted eBay to raise concerns about listings of juul products on its website, resulting in the removal of the listings and the creation of measures to prevent new listings from being posted.^[8]

In April 2018, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced that he was creating a Youth Tobacco Prevention Plan aimed at stopping the dramatic rise in the use of e-cigarette and tobacco products among youth. The FDA specifically asked Juul Labs for documents related to product marketing and research on the health, toxicological, behavioral, or physiological effects of their products in order to understand why youth are so attracted to them.^[9] Additionally, Juul Labs is currently facing lawsuits in several states claiming that its products were deceptively marketed to youth under the legal smoking age. The FDA now plans to create enforcement policies for e-cigarette manufacturers, including juul, that are marketing their products to children and teenagers.

From January 2021 through August 2021, FDA issued 169 warning letters to firms who manufacture and sell unauthorized electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) products, such as e-cigarettes and vaping products with nicotine, advising them that it is illegal to sell their products because the companies did not submit an application to do so by the Sept. 9, 2020 deadline. In addition, in August 2021, FDA warned two companies that submitted applications by September 9, 2020 that did not meet FDA standards, and one company that submitted an application for some but not all of their products, to stop selling the ENDS products that were not authorized to be sold.

The Bottom Line:

The popularity of juuls among adolescents exposes them to large amounts of nicotine that can have adverse health risks for their physical and emotional development. While juuls are called e-cigarettes, they look nothing like them, making it easy for children and teens to secretly use them without a parent, guardian, or teacher noticing. This may be just a temporary trend, but if the FDA does not quickly do more to restrict flavors that appeal to adolescents and to educate the public about the risks, it is likely to create an enormous increase in young people addicted to nicotine.

All articles are reviewed and approved byDr. Diana Zuckerman and other senior staff.

TheNational Center for Health Researchis a nonprofit, nonpartisan research, education and advocacy organization that analyzes and explains the latest medical research and speaks out on policies and programs. We do not accept funding from pharmaceutical companies or medical device manufacturers.Find out how you can support us here.

References:

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8. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., on new enforcement actions and a Youth Tobacco Prevention Plan to stop the youth use of, and access to, JUUL and other e-cigarettes. FDA News & Events. April 24, 2018. https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm605432.htm
9. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Official Request of Information for JUUL Labs. FDA Rules and Regulations. April 24, 2018. https://www.fda.gov/downloads/TobaccoProducts/Labeling/RulesRegulationsGuidance/UCM605490.pdf
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