JUUL Vaping Injury & Addiction Lawsuit
E-cigarette giant JUUL’s vaping products have been linked to e-cigarette addiction and the development of respiratory illnesses such as Bronchiolitis Obliterans, a serious condition also known as “popcorn lung.” If you or a loved one has been addicted to JUUL pods or been diagnosed with severe injuries such as lung damage, stroke, heart attack, or death after using JUUL e-cigarettes, contact the e-cigarette attorneys at GoldenbergLaw for a free consultation.
Case Quick Facts
JUUL e-cigarette products are electronic devices shaped like USB flash drives that use a battery to heat a liquid and produce a mix of particles called an aerosol. The aerosols usually contain nicotine, flavorings, and other chemicals which are then inhaled by the user. The use of e-cigarette products is commonly known as “vaping.”
Among adolescents, e-cigarettes have become more popular than traditional tobacco products. Between 2017 and 2018, there was a 78% increase in e-cigarette use among high schoolers and a 48% increase among middle schoolers. Further, more than 2/3 of high school students who use e-cigarettes said that they chose e-cigarettes over traditional cigarettes because of the flavors companies such as JUUL offer and because they think these flavors are “safer” than traditional cigarettes.
JUUL is a Silicon Valley e-cigarette company that has recently been valued at $15 billion and whose popularity allowed it to amass 70% of the e-cigarette market. JUUL is partially owned by Altria—the tobacco company behind Marlboro cigarettes.
Inside the aerosol within JUUL’s e-cigarettes is a substantial amount of nicotine. According to the manufacturer, a single JUUL pod contains the quantity of nicotine found in a pack of 20 traditional cigarettes.
In addition to high nicotine levels, JUUL e-cigarette aerosols contain harmful and potentially harmful substances such as ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs, flavoring chemicals such as diacetyl (linked to a serious lung disease), dangerous organic compounds, cancer-causing chemicals, and heavy metals including nickel, tin, and lead.
Exposure to the flavoring chemical diacetyl includes severe risk of irreversible conditions such as bronchiolitis obliterans, also known as “popcorn lung”. Diacetyl exposure leads to the chemical seeping deep into the lungs’ smallest airways (the bronchioles) which then become inflamed, damaged, and scarred. As a result of the scarring, the bronchioles block the movement of air in the lungs causing severe respiratory difficulties. Symptoms of Bronchiolitis Obliterans include:
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue
- Chest pain
- Cough
- Weight loss
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Fever
- Trouble doing routine tasks sue as washing one’s hair or tying shoes
- Difficulty breathing
As of October 1, 2019, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has identified over 805 possible cases from 46 states of lung illnesses tied to the use of e-cigarettes and vaping products. Currently there have been 12 confirmed deaths from lung illnesses tied to e-cigarette use.
In addition to the risk of severe lung illnesses as a result of using e-cigarettes, the U.S. Surgeon General identified other extensive dangers of adolescents using products that contain nicotine, such as JUUL e-cigarettes. The dangers include:
- A more activated limbic system which leads to greater risk of addiction
- Negative impacts on the developing brain such as disrupting the formation of brain circuits that control attention
- Long-term effects such as mood disorders and lowered impulse control
- Higher probability of using other tobacco products in the future
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a severe lung disease such as Bronchioloitis Obliterans or pneumonia, suffered a heart attack, seizure, or stroke, or developed a nicotine addiction after the use of a JUUL e-cigarette product, please reach out to the Minnesota e-cigarette lawyers at GoldenbergLaw. We will guide you through the legal process and fight to get you fair compensation. GoldenbergLaw delivers the gold standard advocacy you deserve.
A Personal Message From Senior Partner Stuart Goldenberg
E-cigarette manufacturers like JUUL have been victimizing our kids with deceptive marketing for far too long. Sadly, we are now just starting to discover the devastating impacts these products can have on the developing brain. Addiction. Dependency. Serious Lung Injuries. The predatory marketing practices employed by JUUL are shameful, and the teens who were manipulated into believing these products are safe deserve justice. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a serious lung injury or addiction after using JUUL pods, let us help.
Call 800-903-1643
THE FDA LETTERS TO JUUL
JUUL markets their e-cigarettes as “modified risk tobacco products” which indicates that the products have a lower risk of tobacco-related illnesses or are less harmful than traditional tobacco products. In order to use “modified risk tobacco products” in advertising, a company must have authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); JUUL has not received that authorization. One September 9, 2019, the FDA issued two letters to JUUL about their product and marketing practices. The first was a warning letter attacking JUUL’s claims that their e-cigarette products are a safer alternative to smoking traditional products. In the letter, the FDA says that JUUL has ignored the modified risk law and ordered the company to take immediate corrective action to comply with its obligations under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The second letter focused on JUUL’s deceptive marketing practices and asked for documents related to the company’s marketing strategies and practices.
The FDA letters were partially triggered by investigations from the House Oversight and Reform subcommittee hearings pertaining to JUUL’s marketing and promotional practices. During the July 2019 hearings, JUUL was accused of “deploying a sophisticated program” targeting children and teenagers to become the largest e-cigarette company in the country. These deceptive tactics included social media advertising geared toward adolescents on platforms such as Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram, along with visiting schools and summer camps to promote their products.
In response to the epidemic of adolescent vaping, the Trump administration announced that vaping had become an urgent public-health concern in the U.S. and vowed to increase its oversight of the e-cigarette industry. Increased oversight and FDA regulation intends to massively decrease the sale of almost all flavored vaping products. Changes previewed by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar include the removal of all flavored vaping products from the market with the exception of tobacco-flavored offerings within 30 days. Producers of flavors would then be required to apply to resume sales and the process would require that the manufacturer proves the benefits of the product outweighs the risks.
JUUL Vaping Injury FAQs
If you became addicted to JUUL e-cigarettes before the age of 18 or suffered a severe injury such as popcorn lung, pneumonia, heart attach, seizure or stroke after using JUUL, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit against the manufacturers of JUUL. Contact the E-cigarette attorneys at GoldenbergLaw today for a free consultation.
A JUUL pod is a highly addictive e-cigarette device that looks like a USB cartridge. One pod contains the equivalent amount of nicotine as a pack of 20 cigarettes and more than twice the amount of nicotine as other e-cigarettes.
JUUL e-cigarettes have been linked to addiction and a severe respiratory illnesses such as Bronchiolitis Obliterans, a condition better known as “popcorn lung.” Symptoms include coughing, shortness of breath, nausea, and vomiting. JUUL e-cigarette use has also been linked to injuries such as lung damage, strokes, heart attacks, seizures, and pneumonia.
Popcorn lung is a condition that damages the smallest airways of the lungs and makes it hard to breathe. These tiny airways, called alveoli, feed oxygen into the blood. Popcorn lung occurs when the alveoli become irritated or inflamed and makes them narrower, making it harder to provide adequate oxygen to the bloodstream.
The chemical in some flavored e-cigarettes that can cause popcorn lung is called diacetyl. JUUL claims it does not use diacetyl in its ingredients. However, a Yale study from April 2019 found that JUUL pens produced chemicals, some of which are irritants, that are not listed on the packaging. The study concluded that there is still much that is unknown about the compounds that form through the chemical reactions that occur when using a JUUL e-cigarette.
JUUL pods contain twice the nicotine content as some other e-cigarettes, and one JUUL pod is equivalent to a pack of 20 cigarettes. That fact, combined with the candy-like flavors JUUL sells and the ability to use the product discreetly, makes the product significantly more addictive for the developing brains of teenagers.
Free Consultations
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with addiction, popcorn lung, or a severe injury such as a heart attack, stroke, or seizures after using JUUL e-cigarettes, please call GoldenbergLaw’s Minnesota E-cigarette Attorneys today. We have the tools and experience to help you obtain justice. GoldenbergLaw delivers the gold standard advocacy you deserve.
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