A trustee with the Greater Essex County District School Board is sounding the alarm when it comes to vaping smokeless tobacco.
Ron LeClair says trustees have been hearing from students who say vaping has become a major problem at local high schools.
According to some students, vaping is happening in bathrooms, hallways and even classrooms because the vapour is nearly odourless.
LeClair says students carried out an informal survey and found about 20% of their peers are vaping.
"One in five is pretty concerning. These vape tools that they're using are so small that they're easily concealed. They're easily recharged at school on a computer because it works through a USB. So it really sparked a lot of questions. Certainly vaping in school is a prohibited activity," he says.
An education campaign is already underway at the board and LeClair says administrators are looking into what else can be done to curb the problem.
He's also asking parents to be extra vigilant.
"We really need the parents to be engaged and understand that there's a possibility that their son or daughter is going to school and vaping," says LeClair. "So if they could assist, speak with their children about vaping and its prevalence in our schools and the health risks that come with it."
Ron LeClair, trustee with the Greater Essex County District School Board, attends the regular meeting of the board on January 17, 2017. (Photo by AM800's Ricardo Veneza)
Just like other forms of tobacco, vaping is illegal for those under the age of 19.
LeClair says there's a worry students might he vaping cannabis as well.
"There's some significant health concerns with vaping, obviously, in a lot of ways there's some correlations with nicotine that's in that," he says. "Also, we don't necessarily know what they're vaping. They could theoretically be vaping cannabis. Although it's legal in the country now, it's not legal for people under the age of 19."
LeClair's warning comes as America's top health authorities say teen vaping is an epidemic that now affects some 3.6 million underage users.
E-cigarettes are now the top high-risk substance used by teenagers, according to the latest U-S figures, which show that vaping products have quickly outpaced cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana and other substances that have been tracked over more than four decades.
The handheld devices heat a liquid solution that usually contains nicotine into a vapour that can be inhaled.