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Research letter
High exposure to nicotine among adolescents who use Juul and other vape pod systems (‘pods’)
  1. Maciej Lukasz Goniewicz1,
  2. Rachel Boykan2,3,
  3. Catherine R Messina4,
  4. Alison Eliscu2,3,
  5. Jonatan Tolentino5,6
  1. 1 Department of Health Behavior, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, USA
  2. 2 Department of Pediatrics, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Long Island, New York, USA
  3. 3 Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, Stony Brook, New York, USA
  4. 4 Department of Family, Population and Preventive Medicine, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Long Island, New York, USA
  5. 5 Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Stony Brook, New York, USA
  6. 6 Stony Brook University Hospital and Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, Stony Brook, New York, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Maciej Lukasz Goniewicz, Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences, Department of Health Behavior, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA; maciej.goniewicz{at}roswellpark.org

https://doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2018-054565

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    Introduction

    Although e-cigarette use among US youth decreased in 2016 for the first time since 2011,1 2 with the introduction of the new generation of nicotine vapourisers, ‘pods,’ this trend may not continue. Pods are compact, lightweight, ultraportable and easy to use inconspicuously. Popularity of these devices has increased in the past year, most notably, one brand, Juul. Use of Juul and similar products (‘juuling’) among youth has parents, teachers and the lay public appropriately concerned. However, to date, there are no data on nicotine exposure among youth who use pod systems.

    Methods

    Survey

    To characterise the use of pods among adolescents, we surveyed patients 12–21 years seen at three Stony Brook Children’s Hospital outpatient clinics (Long Island, New York) from April 2017 to April 2018. All participants/parents provided written consent. Participants completed a 60-item anonymous questionnaire about personal use of e-cigarettes, including specific product types and brands, and provided a spot urine sample.

    Product analysis

    Using previously described analytical methods,3 we measured total nicotine concentration in pod products, purchased online, that were popular among our participants. We also measured total nicotine yields in aerosols generated from these products using a smoking machine and standardised laboratory puffing protocol (70 mL puff volume, 2 s puff duration and puff intervals of 10 s).3 We used gas chromatography-mass …

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors RB and MLG conceptualised and designed the study, drafted the initial manuscript and reviewed and revised the manuscript. CRM, AE and JT collected data, carried out the initial analyses and reviewed and revised the manuscript. All authors approved the final manuscript as submitted and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

    • Funding This study was funded by an Intramural Research Grant Award to RB from Department of Pediatrics, Stony Brook University School of Medicine and Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, New York. Laboratory testing of nicotine products was supported by NIH grant NCI P30CA16056.

    • Disclaimer The policy implications written in this manuscript are the views of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the other members of the Committee, the NASEM or the FDA.

    • Competing interests MLG has received fees for serving on an advisory board to Johnson & Johnson and research grant support from Pfizer. MLG was a member of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) Committee on the Review of the Health Effects of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems and contributed to the writing of the NASEM report.

    • Patient consent Not required.

    • Ethics approval The study was approved by Stony Brooke University IRB.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.