The use of E-Cigarettes has exploited rapidly, due to convenience and the portrayed idea that such smoking devices are less destructive to the human body, versus a traditional cigarette. The use of an e-cigarette is often referred to as “vaping”. Currently, one of the biggest names in the vaping industry is the “Juul”. The Juul is a small device that looks identical to a flash drive for a computer. It is refilled with small “pods” that contain the e-liquid, and is charged through a small, USB compatible port. The popularity of these devices roots from the idea that inhaling the vapor is less harmful to the human body than tobacco. With that said, the over use of such devices due to convenience and good taste could potentially be just as, or more harmful to consumers.
An e-liquid traditionally consists of a mixture of propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, glycerol, flavorings, and implemented with or without a nicotine concentration. Small traces of aluminum, antimony, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, thallium, vanadium, and zinc have been identified in e-liquids as well. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as acenaphthene, acenaphthylene, benzopyrene, benzo fluoranthene, benzopyrene, chrysene, fluoranthene, fluorene, naphthalene, and phenanthrene have between a two and twenty percent trace in a sample of an e-liquid. In addition, there are traces of pesticides such as chlorpyrifos ethyl and trifluralin (Beauval-Garat et al., 2017).
The mixture of propylene glycol and glycerol has been deemed safe for human consumption in the e-liquid, at its recommended use. Ethylene glycol is beginning to become a replacement and is associated with toxicological risks. Ethylene glycol is commonly used as an agent in antifreeze (Hutzler-Luch et al., 2013). Another toxic chemical found in some e-cigarettes is formaldehyde. The carcinogens in the vapor that is exhaled can also be a danger to others, for it has a similar influence on secondhand tobacco smoke (Gilbert, 2018).
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As mentioned previously, the convenience of vaping/juuling with no set regulation, and the tasty flavors of the e-liquids provides consumers with the opportunity for overconsumption of the product. One juul pod’s nicotine content is equivalent to the nicotine content in a pack of cigarettes. Most consumers may not find themselves smoking an entire pack of cigarettes daily but may find themselves going through a juul pod in a single day with ease. The FDA recently put a stop to the operation of producing the most popular flavored Juul pods.
These flavors include mango, fruit medley, cool cucumber, and crème brulee. By eliminating such tasty flavor options, consumers may choose to reduce their intake of the juul, for it may become less enjoyable. This action primarily targeted the use of juuls in teenagers and young adults. The potential side effects and harms of the juul include increased heart rate and blood pressure, kung disease, chronic bronchitis, and insulin resistance that can lead to type two diabetes (Gilbert, 2018).
Despite the marketed image that e-cigarettes are the safe alternative to smoking, there are many dangers associated with its use. It appears that the FDA is starting to recognize significant trends in various issues/dangers to consumers and is working to lessen/eliminate the dangers.
References
- Nicolas Beauval, Sebastien Antherieu, Melissa Soyez, Nicolas Gengler, Nathalie Grova, Michael Howsam, Emilie M. Hardy, Marc Fischer, Brice M.R. Appenzeller, Jean-Francois Goossens, Delphine Allorge, Guillaume Garcon, Jean-Marc Lo-Guidice, Ann Garat. (2017, July). Chemical Evaluation of Electronic Cigarettes: Multicomponent Analysis of Liquid Refills and their Corresponding Aerosols. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=b652f89f-54a0-420c-bb0f-02ae306d02ed%40sdc-v-sessmgr01
- Christoph Hutzler, Meike Paschke, Svetlana Kruschinski, Frank Henkler, Jurgen Hahn, Andreas Luch. (2013, October). Chemical hazards present in liquids and vapors of electronic cigarettes. Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=13730a22-aad2-42db-afa4-a6a93f442dc6%40sessionmgr104
- Scott Gilbert. (2018, July). The Medical Minute: Hazards of Juuling or Vaping. Retrieved from https://news.psu.edu/story/527326/2018/07/03/impact/medical-minute-hazards-juuling-or-vaping
