Is Juul Bad For You? Common Health Issues from Juul Vape Pens

Friday, May 12, 2023

Is Juul Bad For You? Common Health Issues from Juul Vape Pens

Written by Malman Law, reviewed by Steve J. Malman.

Vaping devices, also often known as E-Cigarettes, are handheld, battery-operated devices that allow you to inhale vapor into your lungs. Vape pens were initially marketed as an alternative and means of helping adults who were trying to quit smoking, but vaping has now become a health issue that is no less concerning than the cigarettes that the Juul Vape pens were supposed to replace. Worse, vaping has become more popular among teenagers, which is highly concerning.

According to a Vital Signs report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some 4.9 million high school and middle school students used tobacco in recent years, which represented an increase from 3.6 million in previous years.

Anyone who suffered injuries or health conditions due to vaping should speak with a Chicago Juul vaping lawyer as soon as possible.

Common Side Effects of Vaping

While the impact of smoking cigarettes has been linked to serious health complications, vaping is not without its own health risks and issues. As vaping is relatively new in practice, some of the risks noted to date have been more immediate and short-term concerns. In time, data will show more of the long-term risks of vaping.

Some of the known common side effects of vaping include dry mouth and coughing. Although the long-term side effects of vaping are not presently well known, Juul and other e-cigarettes have been linked to serious health problems, including severe lung injuries, nicotine addiction, seizures, and an elevated risk of heart attacks and strokes.

The increased popularity of Juul Vape pens has brought to light the potentially serious health risks of e-cigarettes, which were once marketed as safer than tobacco cigarettes.

So much so that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration started regulating e-cigarettes in mid-2016. Prior to that, very little was done to provide guidelines on how the product and its associated components were manufactured, marketed, or sold.

There was, therefore, no way of determining or even becoming aware of the device’s possible dangers, including a faulty design that was later determined to have contributed to lithium-ion battery explosions.

Over time, however, investigations were carried out, and it was only then that the e-cigarettes were linked to several potential health hazards. Many cases of serious side effects are now leading to Juul lawsuits.

Nicotine Addiction and Juul Vaping

The claim that vaping is safer than smoking a cigarette is misleading and potentially dangerous marketing. While nicotine is not classified as a hard drug like heroin, the dependency that develops over time can make it feel just as addictive, even for those who are using a vape pen instead of smoking a cigarette. Nicotine is a stimulant that is especially harmful to younger brains that are still in their development phase.

Exposure to this drug can impact chemistry in the brain, which allows young people the ability to learn, focus, and control impulses. During this especially important phase of development, short-term use can lead to long-term health and cognitive challenges.

Additionally, given that nicotine is a highly addictive substance, it can be difficult for those who are using it to quit once they are accustomed to using it frequently. The symptoms of nicotine withdrawal can make it especially uncomfortable to reduce or stop intake. These symptoms often include:

  • Irritability and anxiety
  • Intense nicotine cravings
  • Trouble sleeping and insomnia
  • Restlessness and fidgeting
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Potential interest in other toxic substances
  • Constipation or diarrhea

Although the claim that e-cigarettes do not contain as many chemicals as a traditional tobacco cigarette is true, this does not mean that they are a safe and healthy product to use. Vape pens still contain chemicals that have been found to cause cancer and ultrafine particles that are linked to causing lung disease.

Another chemical that is often present in e-cigarettes is vitamin E, which may not seem like an alarming additive because it usually is harmless when ingested as a vitamin supplement. The same is not the case for the presence of vitamin E acetate in a vape pen. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials have noted that as an additive that is occasionally used in vaping products, vitamin E might be partially to blame for lung injuries related to vaping products. They have noted that when vitamin E is inhaled as a vapor, it might impede healthy lung functionality.

For this reason, it is important to understand your options if you believe that you are experiencing nicotine addiction as a result of Juul vaping.

Other Serious Juul Vaping Side Effects

If you have been using a Juul vape pen, nicotine addiction is just one of the side effects that you might experience. Other serious Juul side effects to be aware of include the following:

  • Heart attacks
  • Strokes
  • Severe lung injury
  • Pneumonia
  • Seizures
  • Popcorn lung

Researchers established that users are exposed to a variety of potentially harmful chemicals, including nicotine and formaldehyde, as well as lead, which has its own dangers when introduced to the body. A common chemical in many flavored e-liquids known as diacetyl has been associated with an incurable lung condition known as popcorn lung.

Product Liability and Juul Vape Pens

Product liability is the liability of any maker or manufacturer of a product or party in the chain of manufacturing and distribution for damages caused by that product. This includes the manufacturer of constituent parts of the product, an assembling manufacturer, the wholesaler, and the retail store owner, with liability in that descending order from the most to the least liable.

Products that are found to contain inherent defects that cause harm to a consumer of the product are good candidates for product liability lawsuits.

For a commercial seller of a defective product to be found liable, the following elements must be satisfied:

  • The entity or person being sued sells the product the person suing uses
  • The entity or person being sued is the commercial seller of such a product
  • The person suing suffers an injury from using the product
  • The product was defective when the commercial seller sold it
  • The defect was an actual and proximate cause of the injury suffered

Speak with Chicago Juul Vaping Lawyers Today

The health impacts of a Juul vape pen are still under study, but some people have already been affected by the use of these vape pens. Medical bills that are a result of a vape pen injury can quickly add up and become a stressful expense.

If you have suffered side effects from the use of a Juul Vaping pen, you deserve to understand your rights to potential compensation. To speak with an experienced attorney,  contact Malman Law for a free consultation to determine what rights you may have under the law.

Steve Malman

Malman Law’s founder Attorney Steven Malman has over 30 years of experience handling personal injury, nursing home, medical malpractice, truck accidents, car accidents, premises liability, construction, and workers’ compensation cases in Chicago, IL.

Years of experience: +30 years
Illinois Registration Status: Active and authorized to practice law—Last Registered Year: 2024

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