RALEIGH | NEW BERN | WILMINGTON | JACKSONVILLE | MOREHEAD CITY | GREENVILLE | GOLDSBORO | WILLIAMSTON | ROCKY MOUNT | ROANOKE RAPIDS | DURHAM | FAYETTEVILLE

Important Details of The JUUL Vaping Lawsuits – Please Read.

Electronic cigarettes (also known as e-cigarettes, e-cigs, and vaping products) are widely available from a large number of manufacturers (around 500) and are designed in a range of styles to mimic the appearance of conventional cigarettes, USB flash drives, writing pens and other commonly available products.

Electronic cigarettes are essentially an electronic nicotine delivery device which use a liquid that contains nicotine alongside various types of flavors. The liquid also contains propylene glycol, glycerin and possibly other substances depending on the manufacturer.
The liquid contained in the vessel is heated via a battery and heating coils causing the liquid to become a vapor. Once vaporized it can be inhaled by the user in much the same way as smoke from a conventional cigarette is inhaled. The general term for this is “vaping” and is derived from the vaporization process facilitated by the heating element.

These products are officially referenced as ‘electronic nicotine delivery systems’.

JUUL products are recognizable in large by their physical similarity to that of a USB flash drive. JUUL is the most common form of e-cigarettes in use today, and the JUUL delivery system (known as pods) contain dangerously high amounts of nicotine – in fact a typical JUUL pod contains around the same amount of nicotine as that available from an entire pack of traditional cigarettes.
JUUL pods have a much higher concentration of nicotine than traditional cigarettes and the nicotine is more readily absorbed by the body, at a higher rate than traditional cigarettes.

The Center For Disease Control and The Food And Drug Administration have received many reports of JUUL users becoming addicted to these nicotine delivery devices and these reports of addictions primarily relate to teenagers and young adults.

In addition to addiction and dependency issues, the CDC are concerned with the risk of potential longer-term cognitive impairment in teenage users of JUUL products, seizures and convulsions as a result of nicotine poisoning and toxicity, and other potential dangers to health. 

Those who have become addicted to the devices and have suffered related illnesses show symptoms of nicotine poisoning which may include:

• Seizures
• Strokes
• Blood clots
• Convulsions
• Embolisms
• Elevated blood pressure
• Heart injuries
• Joint pain

Government agencies have accused JUUL,  through various lawsuits, of targeting young and underage people in its advertising campaigns in order to get a new generation of users addicted to nicotine products.

When JUUL first began marketing its products in 2017 and 2018, its ads showed primarily young people enjoying its products in various attractive settings and situations.

JUUL relied heavily on social media marketing and used ad demographics to target a younger audience. JUUL also used flavorings such as mint, fruit, and creme to enhance the taste of their products, making their appeal even wider and particularly appealing to inexperienced new vape users.

The lawsuits also claim that JUUL intentionally created a small, sleek device (USB Flash Drive) containing a high concentration of nicotine and designed it to deliver the nicotine in an expedited manner. The nicotine delivery device (JUUL pod) was designed to fit easily in a person’s palm and the device could be utilized without producing any foul odor.

JUUL is accused of deceptively marketing their products to a young generation with the unsubstantiated claim that JUUL products are safer than traditional cigarettes.

Through its aggressive and deceptive marketing strategies, mostly targeting younger audiences, JUUL has reversed the decades long trend of youth smoking; resulting in more than 3.6 million middle and high school students using e-cigarettes by the end of 2018.

JUUL Product Side Effects and Harm To Health

In addition to the danger of nicotine addiction and poisoning, researchers have identified a number of other serious health risks associated with the practice of vaping.

In April 2018, the Journal of Pediatrics published a report about the carcinogenic effects of the flavoring chemicals used in vape juice to provide the fruit flavors.

Chemicals found in vape liquids/juices include:

– Diacetyl (a buttery flavor)
– Formaldehyde (embalming fluid)
– Toluene (an ingredient in paint thinners and commercial adhesives)
– Acrolein (used to kill off plant and algae blooms in irrigation canals and water treatment ponds).

These chemicals can cause the development of bronchiolitis obliterans, a serious lung disease that is irreversible, and commonly known as “popcorn lung”.

Symptoms of popcorn lung include:
– Coughing
– Wheezing
– Shortness of breath

These symptoms are largely similar to the symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

When heated, vape products can produce particles of heavy metals, these include:

– Cadmium
– Chromium
– Lead
– Manganese
– Nickel

These heavy metals, when inhaled through a typical vaping device, can become lodged in lung tissue leading to further serious health complications. Furthermore, some vape liquids may contain nitrosamines, which are known to cause cancer.

What Compensation May Be Available From A Successful JUUL Addiction Lawsuit?

If you or a child/teenager has become addicted to nicotine as a result of JUUL use, we will be seeking the following damages for you:

• Past and future medical expenses that result from the injuries, including addiction treatment.

• Past and future pain and suffering (physical and mental) caused by the injuries, and the treatment and recovery process.

• Past and future loss of enjoyment of life.

• Punitive damages, if appropriate.

What Next?

The first step to determining your eligibility to join this lawsuit is to have an experienced JUUL Lawsuit Attorney look at your case.

Once you’ve completed the form at the link above, a member of our legal team will contact you for any additional information and to explain the process in more detail.

If you have immediate questions you may also call us at 1-800-ACCIDENT.

 More General Information

If you use JUUL products or products from one of the many other vaping product companies, and you do NOT believe your health has been negatively impacted, then you may find the general information below to be of use,

Vaping – Lawsuits – What’s It All About?

As a user of vaping products you’re probably aware of the controversy surrounding their use and misuse and that the focus of the controversy seems to be centered around the vaping product manufacturer JUUL.

Why is it that JUUL is in the spotlight more so than any of the other 500+ manufacturers of vaping products?

According the the Center for Disease Control – “Medical professionals are very concerned because juul delivers higher concentrations of nicotine than other e-cigarettes. Not only is nicotine highly addictive, but it is also toxic to fetuses and is known to impair brain and lung development if used during adolescence.”

The basis of the concern by the CDC is the fact that JUUL uses nicotine salts in their products, making the nicotine more ‘available’ thus essentially delivering the user a much higher level of nicotine than that delivered through the typical e-cigarette.

There are many points of contention in the whole vaping saga, and a few of the key points are listed here: 

1. Certain products are designed to target the youth market, often enticing people who have never smoked conventional cigarettes to begin vaping.
2. Largely unregulated and untested products with unknown side effects.
3. Import and use of materials produced overseas (China being the largest source) which have no control or certification for safe use in the US.
4. Concerns over addiction and dependency on these new vaping products.
5. Performance claims made by manufacturers of vaping products often cross the lines of those permissible by the FDA and FTC. Largely unsubstantiated claims of product efficacy include those relating to vape products being ‘safer than conventional cigarettes’ and ‘vaping products are effective long-term smoking cessation aids’.

The simple fact of the matter is that right now, people using vaping products from companies like JUUL are getting sick. Not only are the CDC concerned about potential longer-term cognitive impairment in teenage users of JUUL products, but they are particularly concerned at the recent outbreak of  deadly vaping related illnesses.  

 If you’re a vape product user and you believe that these products are safe, or safer than conventional cigarettes, then do your research and keep an open mind about the data that’s available. Try to seek out reputable sources for your research rather than those with a vested (financial) interest in propagating the use of these products. Remember that people considered conventional cigarettes to be safe during the early years of their use, and tobacco companies went to great lengths to hide this deception from the naive public.  

If you’re a user of vape products and you believe that your health may already be suffering as a consequence of the products you are using, then you need to seek both medical and legal help as early as possible.

 Talk to your doctor and have he or she look at options for you to cease the use of these products as soon as you can. Each person will need a different approach to vaping cessation based on their prior tobacco / nicotine usage and how long your nicotine use has been a factor.

Then talk to an experienced lawyer. At Kellum Law Firm our attorneys have experience in handling cases involving defective product injuries, malpractice, personal injury and damage to health arising from defective product use. We have a great deal of experience handling legal cases of a medical nature.

Our legal team at Kellum Law Firm are ideally situated to take on your case and ensure that you get the best possible outcome.

Contact us today, ‘we’re with you all the way’.