"Juuling': The Most Widespread Phenomenon You've Never Heard Of"

Juuling is a specific type of e-cigarette designed by a company called Juul. The sleek design allows these devices to be easily mistaken for everyday household and school items such as pens, Sharpies, and thumb drives. The disposable cartridges (or pods) are about the size of a USB stick and can last up to 200 puffs. Although these pods are small, each pod may contain as much nicotine as an entire pack of cigarettes.

These pods come in a variety of flavors stored in bright packaging, which is what attracts young teenagers. Many do not know these products contain nicotine and believe them to be harmless. Although sales of vaping and juuling products are restricted to adults 18 and older (Natick residential require 21 and older), it is still extremely easy for teenagers to purchase these products online.

Vaping and Juuling are considered less dangerous than smoking. With tobacco being the number one cause of preventable death and illness, e-cigarettes are safer, but not safe. These e-cigarettes use a battery to heat a metal coil, allowing the liquid to become the aerosol vapor that is inhaled. This has been proven to cause the liquid to become toxic, and even carcinogenic. Not only does the vapor contain high amounts of nicotine, but they also contain metal particles, propylene glycol, nitrosamines, and several other harmful chemicals (Metro West Daily News).

Studies show that vaping and juuling is a gateway to smoking for teenagers and others who have not smoked before (Boston Globe). With e-cigarettes not included in the state's definition of “Tobacco Products,” there are no smoke-free restrictions for these products in most areas (not including Natick), allowing e-cigarette users to use these products almost everywhere. E-cigarettes have just recently risen in popularity amongst young adults and teenagers. With this being so sudden, there is little to no long-term research on the effects and harms e-cigarettes can have on young adults and teenagers. Because of this, long-term health effects are unknown. Page 2 of 2 March 1, 2018

Please visit the following links for more information:

Talk With Your Teen About E-Cigarettes

https://e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov/documents/SGR_ECig_ParentTipSheet_508.pdf

'Juuling': the most widespread phenomenon you've never heard of

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/11/15/where-teenagers-are-high-school-bathrooms-vaping/IJ6xYWWlOTKqsUGTTlw4UO/story.html

Vaping, more common than smoking among teens, comes under scrutiny

http://www.wickedlocal.com/news/20171208/vaping-more-common-than-smoking-among-teenscomes-under-scrutiny

NIH e-cig drug facts

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/electronic-cigarettes-e-cigarettes

Flavoring Compounds Dominate Toxic Aldehyde Production during E-Cigarette Vaping

http://www.2yc3.org/Archives/216/khlystov.pdf

Vaping statistics