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Dealing with the Problem of Vaping at CHS by Sierra Ricci
Doctors and scientists are concerned with vaping because of the growing numbers in data suggesting that vape pens and e-cigarettes are not good for your body. They are also concerned because teenagers don’t care about the effects.
As of the 2017-2018 school year, Principal Hobin suspects that 5% of students vape on school property at Coventry High School.
The most commonly known way to vape is known as the vape pen. It was created by James Monsees and Adam Bowen who co-founded Juul. They were not the only ones who had looked into an alternative for cigarettes. In fact, this started in the 1960’s with Herbert A. Gilbert, who wanted to make a “smokeless non-tobacco cigarette”. Then it was followed up by a Chinese pharmacist named Hon Lik, who just like Gilbert wanted to make a substitute for regular cigarettes. The pens became particularly popular because of their small size, which can be hidden in the palm of the carrier. In 2016, “Science News for Students” published an article about the statistics of vape use from 2011 to 2015, comparing e-cigarettes to hookah, cigarettes and cigars. The survey showed that most kids in 2015 would rather use a vape pen than any of the others.
When asked how many students in the school, both boys and girls, vaped, Mr. Hobin responded with, “5%. That is a broad guess.” He stated that this is about 70-75 kids who constantly try to get in a “quick vape” compared to the 1500 kids in the school.
The concerned principal had no idea that the websites where you can buy these vape pens are unblocked on the school computers. He said that he doesn’t look at these websites unless someone brings them to his attention. This seems to be a theme with most principals across the United States.
The high school has dealt with a lot of complaints from teachers because of students leaving class to vape. To try and stop this, Mr. Hobin tried a new method of control around the place where most students get caught, the bathroom.
Mr.Hobin says that they have increased supervision in these areas because of the number of students vaping. But in other areas of the country they deal with these issues very differently. A USA today source says that, “ in suburban D.C., a high school’s principal took doors off its bathroom stalls to keep students from using drugs inside —namely Juul.”
Schools are concerned about some students who vape because they leave class and jeopardize their grades just for one hit. The controversial subject of vaping was brought up to the countries top surgeon.
The U.S. Surgeon, Dr. Vivek Murthy, created a controversial report on vaping. Dr. Murthy asked for the reduction of e-cigarettes in younger generations. He says this because they have overcome regular cigarettes and became the most use tobacco products among this group of people.
According to a report, “E-cigarette use among high school students rose to 16 percent in 2015 from 1.5 percent in 2011. Over the same period, 9.3 percent of high school students reported smoking traditional cigarettes compared with 15.8 percent in 2011.”
Following the reports, there are rules in the handbook that state that e-cigarettes are not allowed on school premises. This rule was put into place for the 2018 school year. Students can find the handbook located on the Coventry High School page. It states that, “In addition, electronic cigarettes are also prohibited.”. Those who still choose to do this have been punished and the school officer, Officer Pacheco was brought in to talk about the seriousness of the issue.
Some may argue that this can help smokers to stop. Although, this has never been proven to stop any type of nicotine addiction.
However the chemicals that make up a vape are Nicotine, Vegetable glyceral, and Propylene glycol. These aren’t toxic, but they still can start an addiction just like cigarettes. Propylene glycol is antifreeze and in chemical terms it is known as C3H8O2. This is used in most processed food products and is the “most common” ingredient of e-cigarettes. It is used to contribute to the taste and smoothness of the smoke. While Propylene glycol isn’t as lethal as Ethylene glycol, it still can addict you because of the way the smoke would be released.
One reason the principal thinks that students vape is because of stress. When the time is closer to big tests or exams, students tend to spend more inside the bathroom looking for a stress reliever. These stress relievers aren’t always the best choice because there can be some backlash.
Some reasons people should stop this trend is because it suppresses your immune system, meaning that it can lead to a “modified immune response” and can also increase your chances of illness, infection and disease. Another reason is because it can still damage your lungs and can also cause Obliterative Bronchiolitis, most commonly known as “Popcorn Lung”. Symptoms to this are wheezing, shortness of breath, dry cough, unexplained exhaustion and rapid breathing. More reasons are the nicotine in vape is destructive to your body, it could lead to cancer, they are prone to exploding and that vape is not necessarily a cure for tobacco smokers.
Doctors and scientists are concerned with vaping because of the growing numbers in data suggesting that vape pens and e-cigarettes are not good for your body. They are also concerned because teenagers don’t care about the effects.
The experiments that scientists conducted suggested that the nicotine inflamed the lung tissues. This also suggested that vapors with no nicotine can disrupt the barrier function of the cells in the lung. Dr. Irene Petrache, a lung specialist and doctor at Indiana University, conducted experiments on the lung tissue and immediately made the assumption that, “vaping would be no better for the lungs than cigarette smoking.”
With these facts, students at Coventry High School should put into perspective what they are doing to their body when they inhale these vapors.