Vaping: What you need to know
You can read last week’s article on the history of vaping here.
Vaping devices are small, quiet and look like something a student would carry on them during a normal school day. No matter the size, all of the vaping devices can cause harm or even death.
Some examples of look-a-like vaping devices:
- USB thumb drives
- lipstick
- compacts
- pens
- external cell phone power banks/batteries
Indicators of Vaping
Because of their size, it is very hard to stop the devices from coming into the school. Here is what schools and parents should look for:
- Thick, white clouds of vapor, similar to what you see from smoke stacks in the winter;
- Unexplained smells of candy, fruit, dark chocolate, coffee or tobacco;
- Students covering their mouth with a jacket or scarf;
- Students blowing in to backpacks or down their shirts.
At home, parents should look for:
- Packages coming to the house on an abnormally frequent basis;
- Students spending more or asking for more money. Vaping products are not cheap;
- Spent product cartridges or little flavoring bottles in the trash.
Places For Vaping
Areas where students are unsupervised, like in bathrooms, cars, buses, and locker rooms, are hotbeds for vaping. School leaders should develop policies and enforcement measures to prevent vaping in unsupervised school areas.
Health Signs of Vaping
Finally, schools and parents should keep an eye on their child’s health and notice the signs of nicotine poisoning and respiratory issues. You can view information about nicotine poisoning from Poison Control.
If a student is having trouble breathing or showing the signs of nicotine poisoning, please seek medical help immediately.
A whole school community response is the best approach to preventing underage vaping, health officials say.
Next Week: How schools and the community can stop and prevent underage vaping.
