A new epidemic, vaping, is gaining more and more attention as the media starts to uncover long term effects. 

Several vaping related illnesses have hospitalized teens all around America. Although vaping is said to be the safer alternative to smoking, the long term effects of e-cigarette usage are still unknown.

Kevin Burns, the former CEO of Juul Labs, stepped down as worries about the effects of vaping have become more and more pertinent. Burns left his position and apologized to the parents of children who use Juul products.

“[Juul is] not intended for [children],” Burns said, according to foxbusiness.com. “I hope there was nothing that we did that made it appealing to them. As a parent of a 16-year-old, I’m sorry for them, and I have empathy for them, in terms of what challenges they’re going through.” 

Burns will be replaced by a major investor in Juul, K.C. Crosthwaite, who believes that there can be positive alternatives to smoking cigarettes.

“I have long believed in a future where adult smokers overwhelmingly choose alternative products like Juul,” Crosthwaite said, according to latimes.com. “Unfortunately, today that future is at risk due to unacceptable levels of youth usage and eroding public confidence in our industry.”

Amid medical cases possibly involving vape related injuries, local school districts are joining in on the fight against e-cigarettes. Neighboring Francis Howell School District recently joined other districts in a lawsuit against Juul. 

“It has really become an issue that Francis Howell did not create, but they are having to deal with it on a daily basis,” the school district’s attorney Cindy Ormsby said, according to ksdk.com.

With all of the controversy in the e-cigarette industry, the outlook for companies like Juul is uncertain. As people grow aware of the potentially damaging health effects, the company may have more legal suits to deal with.