RECENT STUDY REVEALS TOXIN IN JUUL PODS KNOWN TO CAUSE LONG-TERM LUNG DAMAGE

The infamous electronic cigarette products made by Juul were put into a study at Harvard University. The study concluded that Juul pods contain a microbial toxin that can cause long-term lung damage.

The researchers from Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health found that out of the 54 Juul pods they analyzed, 46% had detectable levels of glucan, a constituent of fungal cell walls.

David Christiani, a co-author of this study stated, “Chronic exposure to glucan can cause inflammation in the airway and lead to long-term lung damage.”

The study, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, revealed the menthol and tobacco flavored pods were found to carry the highest levels of glucan compared to Juul’s other flavored pods.

Coincidently, these two flavors were spared from the U.S Food and Drug Administration’s e-cigarette ban. Before the ban, Juul stopped selling its fruit and mint flavors; the tobacco and menthol-flavored products still remain on the market today.

A study previously published by Harvard in April had found bacterial and fungal toxins in many e-cigarette products. In this 2013 study, before Juul was on the market, they used 37 cartridges and 38 e-liquid products with the highest micro nine levels from the top 10 selling U.S. brands. That study found that 23% of products were contaminated with endotoxins, a microbial agent, and a component of the exterior cell wall in some bacteria. It turned out that 81% of the products were also contaminated with glucan. Similar to the latest study, glucan levels were higher in the tobacco and menthol-flavored e-cigarettes.

Christiani, a co-author of the latest study, said he’s unsure as to why Juul’s tobacco and menthol-flavored pods have high levels of glucan and believes it could be related to the production process or raw material used in the products.

Greg Conley, President of the American Vaping Association, has many contradictions to share with the new report.

“Microbial contamination is a reality with everything in life, including e-liquids and traditional tobacco products. These authors have identified no actual risk, just that some microorganisms were detected, and they are promoting their findings knowing that many will falsely interpret the paper to mean that vaping could be equally or more hazardous than smoking cigarettes.”

The study said its main limitation was that it did not evaluate the contamination of aerosols inhaled by users. Further research will be continued with larger representative samples of Juul products.

At Hendy | Johnson | Vaughn | Emery we are committed to fighting the vaping epidemic that is troubling our country. We will continue to keep you updated as the latest news becomes available. If you or a loved one has had adverse side effects from using e-cigarette or vaping products, we can help. Contact us today for a free case evaluation and to learn how we can help your family in the fight against e-cigarette manufacturers.