Dueling with the Juul

The threat of vaping-related illnesses has administration worried and ready to take action to protect the health of students BY ELLA KRUG Dueling with the Juul

There once was a time at Valley when you couldn’t walk into the bathroom without seeing a group of students huddled together, passing around a Juul and being hit with the sweet scent of mango. Oh, how times have changed. Or so we think. With all of the recent vaping-related illnesses and deaths, Principal Sue Ross has made it a priority of hers to diminish the amount of vaping that goes on in the school. So far, according to Ms. Ross, her plan seems to be working.

“I’ve heard no complaints about vaping in the bathrooms at all this year,” Ross said proudly. This is most likely due to the teachers and other staff members who are stationed outside, watching and keeping an eye on the amount of people in the bathroom. The E-Hall Pass, dreaded by many students, was also implemented this year to control the vaping situation.

“The E-Hall Pass helps us monitor how long kids are gone. It helps us monitor where they’re going,” Assistant Principal Bill Gulgert said. “We’re going in just as often as we did before but I think having people right there has changed some things.”

In 2019, an outbreak of vaping-related illnesses occurred, raising concerns for parents and adolescents alike. As a result of the news, Snapchat created a story of teenagers ditching their vaping devices in eccentric ways, such as flushing them down toilets or tying them to balloons and releasing them into the air.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the affected individuals experience coughing and shortness of breath before eventual hospitalization. As of September 20, 8 people have died, causing the Trump administration to make plans to ban most flavored e-cigarettes. Many states and cities have already started to take action. Michigan became the first state in the United States to ban flavored e-cigarettes followed by

the state of New York . A new law in Virginia raised the minimum age to buy tobacco, including cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Earlier this year, San Francisco also banned the sale of flavored tobacco products.

Vaping in bathrooms is an epidemic in schools across the country. Anyone who goes to Valley knows the frustration of having restrooms shut down, a method administration once used to try to reduce vaping. Many students have developed strong opinions about the situation and how it personally affected them.

“I think it sucks. I think that when you do things like that, you’re not thinking of anyone but yourself and it can be harmful to the people around you,” senior Delaney Turnbull said. Turnbull herself struggles with asthma and scar tissue built up in her lungs. As a consequence, it’s difficult for her to breathe all the time. Her asthma is set off easily by vaping and walking into the public restroom just opens up the opportunity for another attack. Instead, Turnbull has to use the bathroom in the nurse’s office. But with the new policies administration has set forward to reduce vaping, such as the bathroom monitors, Turnbull should be able to use the normal restrooms, right? Wrong. “Some people have told me that there are still people vaping in there and it isn’t worth taking a chance,” Turnbull said. Even though many school policy changes have been made, students still seem to be vaping. And the bathroom monitors are nothing but bothersome to some students.

“I don’t think having teachers outside of the bathrooms is anything more than an invasion of people’s privacy,” Turnbull said. There are very few ways to deal with the vaping situation and limited options. Nicotinesensors do exist but it would cost up to $20,000 to install them in all of the restrooms. Turnbull is unsure if there are ways to stop vaping in the restrooms because someone addicted to nicotine will find a way to do it no matter what. And with all of the vapingrelated illnesses, it’s unlikely that teenagers are going to completely stop because of them. “I think an addict is going to be an addict, and that continuing to vape is much easier than quitting, no matter how scared a person is,” Turnbull said. “I think it’s a tragedy that so many companies geared their products towards young people to grow their business and now these teenagers are paying for it with their health.”

Snapchat, a popular form of social media used by teenagers, has been noted to promote vaping devices in ads between stories. The FDA even warned vaping companies about using social media influencers to promote their products. It’s safe to say that although vaping is still occurring in the bathrooms at Valley, there has definitely been some progress. A few students have shared that they can walk into the bathrooms without facing an onslaught of Juuling adolescents. As for those who still vape in the school, Turnbull has a simple piece of advice for them:

“I just think people should try and be more considerate of the people around them, though that isn’t likely,” Turnbull said. Math teacher Andrew Koch monitors a bathroom in the math hallway. photo | Alison Pike Teachers Kelly Cockrill, Erin Boldin, and Cynthia Sweatte chat while monitoring the bathrooms in the science hallway. photo | Alison Pike

use illness death

Among middle and high school students, 3.62 million were current users of e-cigarettes in 2018.

As of Sept. 20, officials counted 530 confirmed and probable cases of vaping-related illnesses.

As of Sept 20. there have been eight reported deaths caused by a vapingrelated illness.

Reported lung illness cases from vaping in the U.S

-states reporting one or more confirmed or highly probable case

Why Teens Vape

surveyed by the FDA, cited the availability of appealing flavors as the primary reason for e-cigarette use. 81% of teens

10.5 million teens

are exposed to e-cigarette advertising through the internet.

17.1% of teens

believe that e-cigarettes are less harmful than other forms of tobacco, such as cigarettes.