Updated on November 13, 2018
Juul (pronounced “jewel”) quickly became the most popular e-cigarette in the United States in 2015 and currently holds 70% of the market share. The recent arrival of Juul in Canada (September 2018) is a good opportunity to describe this new product, which has been presented by its manufacturer as a method to support smoking cessation.
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The first feature of Juul is its sleek design: measuring 9.4 cm in length, 1.5 cm in width, and 0.8 cm in thickness (with a total weight of only 10 g), the product resembles a USB stick more than an e-cigarette. In addition to this attractive appearance, the Juul is also extremely easy to use: simply place a cartridge (called a “Pod”) on top of the device and inhale the vapor generated by the device without handling the liquid or pressing an extra button. Each cartridge contains 0.7 ml of solution made up of propylene glycol, glycerin, artificial flavors, and 5% nicotine, which is approximately equal to the amount in a pack of cigarettes.
However, the main innovation of Juul remains its ability to replicate the amount of nicotine absorbed when using conventional combustible cigarettes. As shown in Figure 1, the blood nicotine levels measured after a puff of vapor produced by Juul are very similar to those of a conventional cigarette and much higher than those of most other e-cigarettes on the market.
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Figure 1. Comparison of the amount of nicotine absorbed after a puff from different cigarette molds.
Nicotine Salts vs. Freebase Nicotine
The key to understanding this superiority of Juul lies in the chemistry of the nicotine molecule. In its natural state, nicotine is a weak base that spontaneously associates with an acid to form salts (monobasic and dibasic) (see figure versus).
These nicotine salts are not very volatile and are therefore poorly absorbed by the lungs during tobacco combustion; however, in the 1960s, chemists at the cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris discovered that when tobacco is treated with an alkaline solution (e.g., ammonia), nicotine is converted into a much more volatile freebase (over 100 times), which significantly increases its absorption in the lungs and brain. This was a huge breakthrough, as due to the secret manipulation of the bioavailability of tobacco nicotine, cigarettes became much more addictive than before, contributing to making Marlboro, Philip Morris’s flagship brand, the most popular cigarette in the world.
Due to its increased absorption by the body, freebase nicotine is also the form found in nicotine replacement products (gums, sprays, patches, e-cigarettes). However, with e-cigarettes, this use has the drawback that the vapor becomes very irritating (due to the basic nature of freebase nicotine), which limits the amount that can be absorbed during vaping (see Figure 1). This issue particularly affects heavy smokers who seek high doses of nicotine to meet their needs, and the irritation or discomfort caused by high levels of freebase nicotine becomes a barrier preventing the transition from conventional cigarettes to the electronic version.
The Juul e-cigarette circumvents these restrictions by using nicotine salts instead of the molecule in its freebase form. At first glance, this seems to be a surprising strategy, as these salts are known to be less absorbed by the body than nicotine in its freebase form. However, during the development of their product, Juul manufacturers made a surprising discovery: by using certain organic acids for the formation of nicotine salts (in this case, benzoic acid), they found that these salts could be vaporized at low temperatures and that nicotine was absorbed at a rate similar to freebase nicotine. Furthermore, the presence of benzoic acid lowers the pH of the vaping solution and causes less irritation in the throat, allowing the user to inhale larger amounts of nicotine. As a result, the Juul can be considered the first e-cigarette that faithfully recreates the feeling of burning tobacco from traditional cigarettes, and could therefore be an interesting tool for quitting smoking.
Juul is a recent addition to the world of e-cigarettes, and its effectiveness in smoking cessation and health effects still need to be established. Several studies on electronic cigarettes show that vaping produces fewer toxic and carcinogenic compounds than traditional combustible cigarettes, and there is no doubt that these devices are much less harmful to health. In this sense, Juul may even be superior to other e-cigarettes, as its higher nicotine concentration reduces the amount of liquid consumed and heating at a lower temperature reduces the production of potentially toxic compounds.
The main concern caused by the phenomenal growth in Juul sales remains the high nicotine content, which could lead to addiction among users, especially among youth. Several recent articles have reported that Juul is very present on high school and college campuses in the United States, suggesting that it is widely used by young people, including minors. This usage is supported by the design of the device, which allows them to hide it from authorities and in some cases even vape at school (leading some schools to ban USB sticks to stop Juul use). Flavors of cartridges such as “Mango” or “Crème Brûlée” are also appealing to a young audience, and studies have shown that those who smoke often start using flavored tobacco products. While the question of whether Juul can be a gateway to traditional tobacco remains open, it is doubtful as the latest data shows that the youth smoking rate is steadily declining (the proportion of American adolescents who smoked in the past 30 days dropped from 28.3% in 1996 to 5.9% in 2016).
In any case, it is clear that we must remain extremely vigilant and prevent these new products from promoting the emergence of a new generation of smokers. Warned by the constant increase in Juul users, the U.S. FDA recently asked product manufacturers to prove that their marketing is not intentionally aimed at youth and to describe their plans to limit the use of this product to adults. In response to these requests, JUUL Labs promised to invest $30 million in research and development over the next three years to reduce youth Juul consumption and limit the product to smokers who want a less harmful alternative to conventional cigarettes. The FDA’s impression has also prompted the company to remove its popular flavored cartridges from retail outlets and to stop promoting its products to the media.
Tag : e-cigarette manufacturing