JUUL provides “JUULpods,” vaping pods that are designed to improve the lives of adult smokers. But is a JUULpod “safer” than a traditional cigarette? To find out, let’s compare and contrast JUULpods and traditional cigarettes.
What Is JUUL?
JUUL promotes the development of a world where people use fewer cigarettes. At the same time, JUUL strives to provide cigarette users with the tools and resources they need to stop their consumption altogether. To accomplish its goal, JUUL offers vaping products that serve as “a satisfying alternative” to cigarettes, according to the company.
The JUUL product line includes JUULpods, e-liquids that contain the following ingredients:
- Glycerol and Propylene Glycol: These ingredients are commonly found in vaporization liquids, along with toothpaste and other consumer products.
- Benzoic Acid: This naturally occurring acid is found in tobacco plants.
- Nicotine: JUULpods are available in 3% and 5% nicotine concentration strengths, and each JUUL pack contains approximately 59 milligrams of nicotine per milliliter of liquid.
- Flavor: Includes both naturally occurring and artificial flavor ingredients to provide a specific taste profile.
Each JUUL pack contains four JUULpods, and a single JUULpod will last roughly 200 puffs. It is not refillable, and after a user finishes a JUULpod, he or she can dispose of it in a trash can.
To utilize a JUULpod, a user requires a JUUL device, a closed-system vapor product that is engineered to limit combustion. The JUUL device uses a heating mechanism that creates an aerosol, and it is rechargeable via a USB port.
Are JUULpods Dangerous?
JUUL warns customers that its JUULpods contain nicotine, which is a highly addictive chemical. Also, JUUL recognizes that smoking is bad for a person’s health, and the company does not recommend people who currently do not use nicotine products start to do so.
Ultimately, JUUL wants to be “part of the solution to end combustible smoking,” the company notes. It dedicates time and resources to investigate vaping technology in the hopes of providing adult smokers with the best-possible alternative to traditional cigarettes.
Traditional Cigarettes: Here’s What You Need to Know
On average, a traditional cigarette contains about 12 milligrams of nicotine. Depending on the cigarette brand, a single cigarette may contain between 8 milligrams and 20 milligrams of nicotine, or around 160 milligrams to 400 milligrams per pack.
A traditional cigarette features a simple design, and it usually consists of tobacco, chemical additives, a filter, and paper wrapping. However, a single puff from a cigarette exposes a smoker to more than 7,000 toxic chemicals, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These chemicals can damage virtually every organ in the body, too.
Traditional cigarettes are responsible for the majority of tobacco-related diseases in the United States. Some of the diseases that have been linked to smoking cigarettes include:
- Coronary Heart Disease: Refers to the narrowing of the coronary arteries, i.e. the blood vessels that provide the heart with oxygen and blood. Coronary heart disease may lead to shortness of breath, chest pain, and fatigue, among other symptoms. It also increases a person’s risk of experiencing a heart attack.
- Stroke: Occurs when the flow of blood is cut off to the brain. A stroke victim may suffer loss of memory, muscle control, and other abilities controlled by the brain.
- Lung Cancer: Causes an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the lungs. Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in the United States among both men and women. Furthermore, smokers face a greater risk of lung cancer in comparison to all others.
Smoking cigarettes affects a person’s overall health as well. For example, smoking can make it more difficult for a woman to become pregnant, as well as reduce fertility in men. Smoking also affects a person’s teeth and gum health, and it can make an individual more prone to tooth loss. It can even lead to cataracts, decreased immune function, inflammation, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Cigarette smoking is responsible for approximately 480,000 deaths annually in the United States, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports. It causes more deaths each year in the United States than the following causes combined:
- Alcohol use
- Firearm-related issues
- Illegal drug use
- HIV
- Motor vehicle injuries
Nearly 16% of U.S. adults smoked cigarettes as of 2016, and more than 16 million Americans live with a smoking-related disease, CDC indicates. Comparatively, smoking has declined in the United States between 2005 and 2016. The proportion of smokers to quit also has decreased during the aforementioned time frame.
The Bottom Line on JUULpods and Traditional Cigarettes
On a one-to-one basis, a JUULpod may contain more or less nicotine than a pack of cigarettes. Yet neither JUULpods nor traditional cigarettes are safe. In fact, JUUL acknowledges the dangers associated with smoking cigarettes. And as such, JUUL provides its customers with a variety of educational tools and resources to teach people about the dangers of smoking cigarettes.
JUULpods are designed to provide safer alternatives to traditional cigarettes. Conversely, using excessive amounts of JUULpods, traditional cigarettes, or any other nicotine products may result in myriad health problems. Over an extended period of time, nicotine consumption may lead to chronic diseases and death, too.
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