JUUL & E-Cigarette Lawsuit Lawyers

Pursue a Juul Lawsuit With Our Dedicated E-Cigarette Attorneys

Thousands of people use electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, with the mistaken belief that these devices pose less risk than traditional cigarettes. In reality, they may be exposing themselves to dangerous, cancer-causing chemicals. Recent tests conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that two popular brands of  e-cigarettes contained carcinogens and other dangerous substances. What’s worse is that e-cigarettes are often marketed and sold to young people and even children.

Our e-cigarette lawyers are investigating the potential for an injury lawsuit against Juul Labs and other distributors of these highly dangerous products. If you or a loved one use e-cigarettes and believed claims that they are safer than traditional cigarettes, you may be entitled to compensation. Please contact one of our e-cigarette lawyers right away to protect your legal rights.

What Are E-Cigarettes?

E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices that generally contain cartridges filled with nicotine, flavorings, and other chemicals. The electronic cigarette turns the nicotine and other chemicals into a vapor that is inhaled by the user. E-cigarettes are sold online, in retail shops, and at mall kiosks around the country, with prices starting as low as a few dollars for disposable e-cigs.

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Because these products were not submitted to the FDA for evaluation or approval before they hit the market, there is no way of knowing how much nicotine or other chemicals they deliver to the user; however, limited testing conducted by the FDA has raised alarms. The hazardous substances the FDA found included a highly toxic chemical used to make antifreeze. In addition, some e-cigarettes labeled as having no nicotine actually contained this addictive substance.

While the FDA began requiring warning labels on e-liquids in 2018, the required statements only hint at the potential dangers of these substances. Labels must warn users that e-liquids contain addictive nicotine or are derived from tobacco, but they do not touch on the other, potentially far-reaching negative health effects of the chemicals they contain.

Vaping and Lung Damage

Since these chemicals are inhaled like cigarette smoke, vaping can also cause severe lung injuries. In November 2019, a 17-year-old boy in Detroit was the first to undergo a double lung transplant due to vaping-related lung damage. The boy had been diagnosed with e-cigarette or vaping-associated lung injury, or EVALI. An outbreak of EVALI in 2019 was responsible for dozens of deaths and more than 2,000 illnesses in the United States, many of them young people.

In the Detroit case, the boy’s doctors said that he faced certain death without the transplant. When surgeons removed the patient’s severely damaged lungs, they described horrific injuries, including scars, inflammation, and dead tissue. One surgeon said he had never seen similar injuries in 20 years of performing lung transplants. The damage is something completely new, but many in the medical field believe this is only the beginning. Vaping is still a new phenomenon, and the injuries now emerging will likely continue to plague e-cigarette users.

Vaping May Be More Dangerous Than Traditional Cigarettes

Recent studies have shown that e-cigarettes may also harm other parts of the body, causing even more damage than traditional cigarettes. Researchers have found that individuals who use e-cigarettes have higher bad cholesterol levels than people who do not smoke or vape; like smokers, they also have lower levels of good cholesterol. Another study found that vaping also hurts the heart’s ability to pump blood. Smokers experienced the same level of restricted blood flow during exercise, but while smokers’ blood flow returned to normal once they stopped exercising, study participants who vaped continued to experience reduced blood flow even while at rest.

Companies have pushed vaping or using e-cigarettes as a safer alternative to smoking, but it’s becoming clear that this may not be the case.

Juul: Engineered to Be Addictive

Evidence has shown that Juul, the market leader in e-cigarette products, worked from day one to develop a nicotine compound that would deliver a high dose of the drug without a harsh flavor. That decision may well have served to get anyone who tried the company’s product to get immediately hooked. The efficient and potent product is so effective at getting a user addicted that some physicians are noting that while smokers do not become dependent on cigarettes until they have been smoking two or more years, young people who try vaping often become dependent within just two months.

While e-cigarette manufacturers claim their product is intended as an alternative to cigarettes that can help smokers quit, in reality, many individuals who choose to vape never smoked cigarettes and those who vape are more likely to become addicted. One study showed that while only 17 percent of teens who try cigarettes become smokers, as many as 58 percent of teens who try vaping continue to vape. Many of the most avid users are teenagers.

Juul and the Teen Vaping Epidemic

One of the most insidious parts of the vaping epidemic is that from the beginning, it has targeted teens. E-cigarettes have been made to look sleek and be easily concealed, and some of the most popular flavors of e-liquids sport colorful labels and taste like fruit or candy. Juul has come under particular scrutiny.  It’s the dominant company on the e-cigarette scene, and the company’s ads were initially brightly colored and featured young models using the products.

Under pressure from the government and as more people seek compensation through a Juul lawsuit, Juul Labs has changed its advertising to focus more on older smokers who are looking for a smoking alternative or an aid to help them quit. The company also pulled its flavored vape juice pods from the market in October 2019, a few months before a new federal law would have banned them. However, it’s important to note that other flavored e-liquid products are still on the market, alongside other nicotine-containing products that teens may use instead.

Juul Side Effects FAQ

Can Juuls Cause Seizures?

The FDA has conducted research that seems to indicate a link between e-cig products like Juul produces and seizures, though studies are still ongoing. But so far, yes, data strongly suggests that using a Juul is causing seizures in some people.

How Many People Have Had Seizures From Vaping?

As of August 2019, the FDA was investigating 127 reports of seizures linked to vaping. It’s unclear whether other factors may have played a role in these cases; research is ongoing.

Why Is Vaping Causing Seizures?

The most likely culprit in vape juice that could cause seizures is the nicotine. High doses of nicotine can trigger epileptic seizures, and devices such as Juul’s are designed to deliver a large dose of nicotine quickly.

Does Vaping Cause Heart Attacks or Strokes?

Research has shown that using e-cigarettes may increase the odds of a heart attack or stroke. A study by the Karolinska Institute in Sweden found that vaping increases blood pressure and stiffens the arteries, both of which can contribute to a stroke or heart attack.

What Other Risks Are Connected to Vaping and Juul Products?

A study conducted at NYU showed a link between vaping and cancer, though it will take years to know the full impact of vaping on the prevalence of developing cancer. Vaping also can cause injuries to the lungs that medical professionals have likened to chemical burns. Other studies have examined its connection to heart disease and found correlations as well as toxicity at a cellular level. The evidence is certainly mounting that these products endanger users’ health.

Teens and Young Adults Who Vape Are 5 to 7 Times More Likely to Be Infected By COVID-19

US – August 12, 2020 – According to a new study published by Stanford University School of Medicine, young adults and teenagers who vape are five to seven times more likely to be infected by the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV / COVID-19) than others who do not vape.

In May, data collected in the study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health on August 11, 2020, examined the link between COVID-19 and vaping amongst teens and young adults. The study is the first to study whether or not vaping makes young people more vulnerable to acquiring the coronavirus infection.

According to Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, Ph.D., a professor of pediatrics and the study’s author, vaping damages the lungs and places people who use e-cigarettes or vape devices at substantial and immediate risk of contracting COVID-19.

The study’s lead author, Shivani Mathur Gaiha, Ph.D., stated that the data shows that young adults and teenagers do not stop believing they are safe from contracting or suffering severe COVID-19 symptoms. This is not true, and this is especially dangerous for those who vape. The study proves that the risk is real, and the risk of severe coronavirus symptoms due to damaged lungs is dangerous.

The data in the study was collected in May 2020. Over 4,350 young adults and teens aged 13 to 24 participated in the study. The study used participants from all 50 U.S. states, U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia. Researchers enlisted an equal number of young adults who stated they never used a nicotine product and those with a history of using vaping products. The study also equally distributed an equal number of people in different age groups, genders, and races. The participants were given a questionnaire that asked the participant about vaping usage, cigarette usage, COVID-19 symptoms, did they take a COVID-19 test, and if they tested positive for COVID-19

The study results showed that young adults who vaped or smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days were about five times more likely to endure COVID-19 symptoms like fever, coughing, difficulty breathing, and tiredness compared to study participants who never vaped or smoked. The study also found that the frequency of use and the type of nicotine products used increased the chances of receiving a COVID-19 test nine times over nonusers. According to the study, participants who used e-cigarettes were “five times more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19 than nonusers.” Young adults who used cigarettes and e-cigarettes in the past 30 days were “6.8 times more likely to be diagnosed” with the coronavirus disease. The study also discovered that a high percentage of vape using young adults, also smoke cigarettes.

Researchers hope these new discoveries will motivate the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to increase regulations to make vaping products more difficult for young people to buy. Dr. Halpern-Felsher urges vapers to stop using vape pens and cigarettes to avoid putting themselves at risk for COVID-19 or another lung disease.

FDA Declares Certain E-Cigarettes Target Young and Order Products Off of Shelves

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared that certain e-cigarette brands target young users. Consequently, the FDA issued a stern warning to e-cigarette manufacturers and retail distributors to remove these dangerous and potentially deadly products from stores in a statement released by the health agency recently. The FDA found that flavored e-cigarettes continue to be sold in the U.S. Flavored cigarettes are widely believed to appeal to young users. They try them because of the vapor emitted from e-cigarettes tastes like candy, fruit, mint, or use cartoon characters and other gimmicks to attract the attention of a younger consumer. Users become addicted quickly. Additionally, e-cigarette users tend to inhale substantial amounts of contaminants because they use vaping products regularly.

The FDA announced that the agency sent ten letters to retail outlets and manufacturers who make, distribute, market, sell, or import electronic nicotine delivery systems, or ENDS, which promote the consumption of these products by young people. The FDA sent letters to these various companies to warn companies marketing ENDS to young people to stop preying upon the young.

The FDA identified companies who flouted the agency’s efforts to enforce the practice of unlawfully selling ENDS and tobacco products to children. In addition to using a variety of tasty flavors to attract users, the offending companies packaged their goods in ways that would attract a child’s attention. The FDA said companies used devices that looked like a video game controller, fidget spinner, or backpacks and sweatshirts with hidden pockets to lure children toward vaping.

The companies that received a cease and desist letter from the FDA could find themselves in court. The FDA has the authority to commence enforcement actions in court, seek injunctions, seize products, and seek monetary penalties against the offenders. The FDA uses its enforcement authority to punish offending companies.

Some of the products the FDA identified as unlawful blatantly market vaping to minors. For instance, one of the companies which received an FDA enforcement letter is called Vaprwear Gear. As the name implies, the garments made by this company integrate vape and e-cigarette consumption with the clothes. The company’s sweatshirts and backpacks feature secret compartments that allow the wearer to conceal an ENDS product and use it as well. The garment not only flouts U.S. regulations but also mocks parental authority by helping kids hide their habit from their parents or guardians.

Another company identified by the FDA as unlawfully marketing ENDS to minors is called VapeWear. This garment company features clothing it calls “Starter Kits.” Additionally, this company also sells ENDS items made to look like game controllers, smartwatches, or fidget spinners. The company designed the contraband to conceal a vaping product, similar to the vape clothing.

The FDA derives its authority to issue warning letters and initiate legal action from the U.S. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C). The FD&C grants the FDA authority to enforce tobacco regulations. Vaping products, because they are derivative of tobacco products and are made with the intent that someone would consume the product, fall within the enforcement authority of the FDA.

In addition to the two companies mentioned above, the FDA issued warning letters to eight other companies. The companies which received warning letters from the FDA are:

• Wizman Ltd,
• EightCig, LLC.
• Ejuicepack, LLC
• Vape Royalty, LLC,
• VapeCentric, Inc.,
• Dukhan Store,
• VapeSourcing, and
• Shenzhen Uwell Technology Co., Ltd., doing business as DTD Distribution Inc.

All ten of these companies manufacture vaping products or sell them online. Some of the companies make and sell unlawful ENDS products.

The FDA pushes enforcement hard, especially in light of the new federal law, which raised the minimum age to buy any tobacco products to twenty-one from eighteen.