To accompany feature “Today’s nico-teen addicts: Is ‘juuling’ playing a role?”

SCIENCE

Before Reading:

1.  What health risks, if any, do pod-type e-cigs pose to vapers?

2.  Why might teens who vape face an especially high risk of such health problems?

During Reading:

1.  What percentage of e-cigs vaped in the United States are made by JUUL?

2.  According to the story, why are JUUL e-cigs and their look-alikes particularly dangerous for teens?

3.  List the ways that nicotine can be harmful to adolescents.

4.  What makes the chemistry of JUUL’s nicotine particularly harmful?

5.  Many smokers who tried earlier, pre-JUUL vapes returned to cigarettes. How might the data collected by Jonathan Foulds’ team at Penn State explain that?

6.  Smokers trying to quit who switch to JUUL don’t typically go back to cigarettes. What do the data by the Penn State team suggest might be the reason for this?

7.  How long has teen vaping been formally documented in the United States? What does that survey say about nicotine exposure among high school teens today compared to the past?

8.  Has raising the age at which people can buy vape products slowed the rise in teen vaping? List reasons why this might be the case.

After Reading:

1.  Do you think e-cigarettes and vaping products should be banned? Why or why not?

2.  What would discourage teens from vaping?