Chance Ammirata, an 18-year-old living in Florida, said he started using JUUL e-cigarettes a year and a half ago when he was 16. One day, all of a sudden, he felt like his lungs were collapsing and tightening up, making him unable to breathe.
Chance Ammirata was rushed to the ER and two days later, a surgeon operated to repair the hole in his lung. He now believes that JUULing caused his lung injury. After that life-threatening incident, Chance started a social media campaign (#LungLove) to encourage others to get rid of their JUULs. Another teenager, Simah Herman, said she was sure she was going to die last month as she sat in the car unable to breathe. She was rushed to the ER and had to be put on a ventilator and ended up in a medically induced coma. With a ventilator still pumping oxygen into her failing lungs, the teen decided to become an advocate against vaping.
Over the years, vaping has grown in popularity with the rise of e-cigarettes. What is vaping? Vaping is the act of inhaling and exhaling vapor, commonly known as aerosol, produced by an e-cigarette or similar device. Aerosol contains varying amounts of toxic chemicals, such as diacetyl and propylene glycol, that are linked to cancer, as well as respiratory and heart disease.
The newest and most popular vaping product is the JUUL, which has become extremely popular among middle and high school students due to its sleek and discreet design. The JUUL comes in several enticing flavors including mango, mint, watermelon, creme, and other fruity flavors. Flavored vaping products, unfortunately, play an important role in youth vaping. A study that included both high school and middle school students found that 43% of youth who have used vaping products tried them because of “appealing” flavors.
According to the American Lung Association, each pod contains about the same amount of nicotine as a whole pack of cigarettes.
Although researchers are still in the early stages of studying e-cigarettes, it’s clear that e-cigarettes are extremely harmful due to the number of deaths and illnesses that were reported this year.
As of October 2019, 18 deaths and more than 1,000 cases of serious lung illnesses related to e-cigarettes have been shared in the media. Recent studies have found that the short-term effects that vaping has on the lungs are similar to the ones from smoking. Nicotine increases blood pressure, breathing rate, and heart rate, which can lead to an abnormal heart rate, heart failure, and even death in some cases.
Over time, nicotine can lead to other medical problems such as heart disease, blood clots, and stomach ulcers. Side effects of JUULing include a dry mouth, headache, black tongue, dizziness, sleepiness, chest pain, and breathing problems.
Nicotine also increases the level of dopamine in your brain, which often drives you to use nicotine, again and again, to get that feeling of pleasure, resulting in the addictiveness of JUULing.
Unfortunately, the addictive nature is just one of the reasons teens are hooked on JUULing. Vaping has also become a thing to do during school with friends. There have recently been issues with students vaping in the bathrooms, and some schools have taken precautions against this. As a country, there have been pushes in legislation to prevent teens from vaping. This includes a law that prohibits the sale and distribution of any electronic smoking device to person under age 21.
Vaping is a country wide epidemic and it is our job to prevent it from worsening. With accumulating research on the risks, it is time to take action to protect those interested in vaping.
Because so many teenagers are experimenting with JUULing, it is important that parents take time to talk about the risks of JUULing and teach their kids how to deal with peer pressure. It is vital that kids are aware of the dangers of vaping, stop now, and seek help before it’s too late.
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