Juuling

By SERENA FERNANDOPULLE '19

According to Business Insider, the Juul, an electronic smoking device, comprises nearly 33% of the multi-billion dollar e-cigarette industry. According to the Center for Disease Control, about one in four high school students vapes, increasing heart attack risk, inflammation in the lungs, and even lung damage if there is little to no nicotine in the substances they inhale. Within the past few years, vaping—and more specifically, juuling—has swept the nation. Students run into bathrooms before class because they need one more rip, blowing steam down their shirts and keeping the juul in their fist to hide the glowing blue light. This recent explosion of activity has confused many adults in the most prestigious communities. While the Juul’s portability and sleek design have made it a hit with teenagers, misleading information about the health risks associated with juuling has caused many to continue the activity.

To many, what is inside the USB shaped device is a mystery. Externally, the Juul has a metal covering that includes a glowing light on the front to tell the user the battery level. According to the Truth Initiative, the main part of the Juul is comprised of pods that heat up within the device to create vapors, which are then inhaled. These pods cost about fifty dollars online or at a retail store, and they contain oil with different flavors, such as mango, mint, and cucumber, that are intended to attract teens. Nicotine levels in these pods are deceptively high; one pod has the same amount of nicotine as one pack of cigarettes.

Juuling is meant to be an alternative for adult smokers who are trying to quit smoking. As stated on the official Juul website, the company believes that activities such as Juuling “are not appropriate for people who do not already smoke.” Clearly, Juuling was not created to be a safe way for people to vape or get high. In fact, Juuling can become a gateway drug into actual cigarette use; the American Journal of Medicine found that people who use e-cigarettes, like the Juul, are four times more likely to start smoking cigarettes than their non-vaping counterparts.

The effects of Juuling are not completely understood because it is such a new phenomenon; however, the effects of nicotine and flavored oil—the two main components of the Juul—are known. Yes, Juuling is better for the body than cigarettes are, but every puff still contains powerful doses of nicotine, a drug that is known to have long term effects on brain development, according to the Truth Initiative. A second harmful aspect of Juuling is the added flavoring to the oil in the pods. While all of these flavorings have been tested as acceptable for consumption, inhaling the oil could damage the fragile alveoli in the lungs. This problem has occured before in the form of “popcorn lung”; workers at a popcorn factory were experiencing respiratory issues because they were constantly inhaling the flavoring in the popcorn. Elizabeth Lillis, an Honors Biology teacher at Milton, stated that, “the inhaled chemicals [from Juuls] negatively affect [the] immune system and respiratory cells in new ways, and the seemingly innocuous chemicals– the flavorings, for example– can directly impact genes via epigenetics [defined by Google Dictionary as: the study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than alteration of the genetic code itself].” Clearly, the Juul is still harmful to the body, despite being “just vapor”.

The Juul is a public health crisis that is sweeping our nation. Meanwhile, many adults are unaware or unsure of how to combat the issue. According to Time Magazine, the FDA plans to take “a large scale, undercover nationwide blitz” on this vape epidemic, an issue they believe could have unforeseen consequences to our generation. The main concern of professionals about Juuling is the lack of education on the hazards it presents to your body. A study sponsored by the “National Institute on Drug Abuse” found that most high schoolers thought they were just vaping “flavoring” and nothing else harmful. Juuling may be the fad of today, but it will also cause the health problems of tomorrow because kids continue to be ignorant of what they’re are putting into their bodies with every puff.