From addiction to EVALI, vaping can cause problems, especially for teenagers and young adults. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) asserts:
“The use of e-cigarettes is unsafe for kids, teens, and young adults.”
Most E-Cigarettes Contain Nicotine
Nicotine is a highly addictive drug found in tobacco products like cigarettes and cigars. CDC data reveals that 99% of e-cigarettes sold in the United States also contain nicotine, even those that do not disclose their ingredients or market themselves as containing 0% nicotine.
Many consumers who vape don’t realize that their e-cigarettes expose them to nicotine.
For example, one “pod” from the popular e-cigarette brand, JUUL, can contain as much nicotine as a pack of 20 regular cigarettes. Still, approximately 66% of 15 to 24-year old JUUL users are unaware that JUUL always contains nicotine.
E-Cigarettes Can Contain Other Harmful Substances
Researchers are still investigating the long-term health effects of vaping. Some ingredients in liquid e-cigarette cartridges are harmful when inhaled, and e-cigarette vapor, or aerosol, may contain the following substances:
Nicotine
Volatile organic compounds (such as vitamin E acetate, which is harmful when inhaled)
Cancer-causing chemicals
Heavy metals (like nickel, tin, and lead)
Ultrafine particles that can irritate lungs
Diacetyl (a flavoring chemical linked to serious lung disease)
Due to unclear labeling and marketing, e-cigarette users may not know what they are consuming. Many e-cigarettes, for instance, claim to be nicotine-free but contain nicotine, nevertheless.
Addiction: Risking Your Brain
The human brain continues to develop until about age 25. During adolescence, your brain is not fully developed, particularly the area of your brain responsible for decision making and impulse control. As a result, you are more likely to take risks with your health and safety.
Often, teenagers and young adults report using e-cigarettes because they are curious about vaping, or because they do not believe it is harmful. Manufacturers like JUUL also use sweet flavors and flashy marketing to attract younger users.
While feelings of curiosity are natural, vaping is always harmful to young people. Exposing your brain to nicotine can leave you with long-term, lasting effects, such as nicotine addiction, mood disorders, problems with impulse control, and problems with attention and learning.
The synapses, or connections between cells, in your brain develop faster while your brain is still forming. Vaping can introduce or affect new or existing synapses and cause you to crave nicotine. Addiction is essentially a learned behavior, and the younger your brain is, the easier it is for you to learn. Thus, youth face higher risks and rates of addiction after using any kind of nicotine products, including e-cigarettes or vaping products.
Additionally, using nicotine may increase your risk of becoming addicted to other drugs in the future, and young people who use e-cigarettes may be more likely to smoke traditional cigarettes in the future.
EVALI: Risking Your Body
This year, an outbreak of mysterious lung injuries was explicitly linked to vaping. The CDC dubbed the phenomenon EVALI, or e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury.
As of December 10, 2019, a total of 2,409 people had been hospitalized with EVALI and 52 people had died.
While EVALI has been associated with vitamin E acetate and THC-containing e-cigarette products, the CDC continues to investigate other substances and asserts there may be more than one cause.
Symptoms of EVALI include:
Rapid onset of coughing
Trouble breathing
Weight loss
Nausea
Diarrhea and vomiting
If you or a loved one vapes and exhibits the symptoms above, head to the emergency department and bring any devices and cartridges that may have been used.
What to do If You’ve Been Affected by EVALI or Addiction
If your life has been upended by addiction or EVALI, you may have a case against the manufacturer that provided you with your e-cigarette or vaping products.
You should be able to hold manufacturers like JUUL accountable for their misleading marketing, or for failing to warn you about the dangers of their product. Vaping is a multi-billion-dollar industry and those who profit may be responsible when their consumers get hurt.
At Oliver Law Group, we do not want to tell you how to live your life, nor will we judge you for vaping or having used e-cigarettes. We simply want to help you recover any compensation you are entitled to.
To find out if you have a case, please speak with our attorneys. We will evaluate your expectations and injuries during a 100% free consultation and, if appropriate, begin developing an effective legal strategy to help you obtain maximum compensation.
Get started today by calling us today.
