Teens get more nicotine with e-cigarettes than traditional cigarettes, new study finds
by Robert King
Teen users of popular “pod” vaping devices like JUUL brands are exposed to a higher amount of nicotine than with traditional cigarettes and older generations of e-cigarettes, according to a study published Friday in the journal Tobacco Control.
The Food and Drug Administration is investigating JUUL’s popularity among teens and adolescents as part of a larger crackdown on e-cigarette use among minors. A 2015 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that e-cigarette use among middle and high school students tripled from 4.5 percent in 2013 to 13.4 percent in 2014.
JUUL and other “pod” devices are popular among teens because they do not resemble traditional cigarettes or older models of e-cigarettes, the FDA has said. This has caused consternation among parents and teachers who have trouble identifying the devices, which often look like USB drives.
An e-cigarette heats up a liquid, often containing nicotine, into a vapor that is inhaled by the user.
The study published Friday looked at 506 patients ranging from 12 to 21 years old. The patients took a survey asking about their use of e-cigarettes and gave urine samples throughout the study’s duration.
Of the 506 patients, researchers analyzed the urine samples of 22 people who used pods within seven days prior to providing a urine sample because of the short half-life of nicotine levels.
The average nicotine content in the urine analysis was 244.8 nanograms per milliliter. A different study of 55 adolescents who smoked traditional cigarettes found a nicotine level of 155.2.
The study also examined the nicotine level in JUUL and several other pod brands. JUUL was the most popular brand of e-cigarette, used by 79 percent of the patients.
Users of pre-filled pods may inhale, with 10 puffs, 0.77 to 0.85 milligrams of nicotine. This is much higher than older generations of e-cigarettes that had nicotine levels of at 0.02 to 0.51 milligrams, the study said.
JUUL is already under fire from the FDA due to its popularity among minors. In April, the agency warned 40 retailers for selling JUUL e-cigarettes to minors. It also asked JUUL Labs to submit documents on the reason why the product is popular with adolescents.