Wellbeing

Vaping Sessions at MMCRC Years 7-10

Over the next two weeks, we will have presenters from Bass Coast Health (South Coast prevention team) speak to our students about Vaping. The main theme presented will be: What’s the real cost on your health?

What is Vaping?

E-cigarettes or vapes are electronic devices that heat a liquid (or ‘juice’) to create an aerosol. Using an e-cigarette is commonly called ‘vaping’. E-cigarettes/vapes are designed to deliver aerosolised liquids into your lungs when you breathe in. They come in all shapes and sizes and can look like a highlighter, a pen or USB. 

There are many different types of e-cigarettes/vapes. Disposable e-cigarettes/vapes are the most common e-cigarettes used by young people however they also come as a refillable device. These devices are refilled with e-liquid also known as e-juice or vape juice. There are numerous flavours and colourful packaging used to make e-cigarettes/vapes more appealing. Some people mistakenly believe the ‘cloud’ from vaping is a vapour, like steam. However, it is actually an aerosol which is a fine spray of chemicals that enter the body via the lungs with small particles that can lodge in the lungs

Do you know what you are vaping?

E-cigarettes/vapes are not water. When you inhale from an e-cigarette/vape you can be exposed to ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs. The same harmful chemicals found in cleaning products, nail polish removers, weed killers and bug spray are commonly found in e-cigarettes/vapes . Heavy metals and toxins commonly found in glue and paint have also been found to be present in e-cigarettes/vapes. Many of these products contain harmful chemicals you wouldn’t even want to touch with your hands, so can you imagine what they are doing to your body when they are inhaled using an e-cigarette/vape? Many e-cigarettes/vapes also contain nicotine, which you can become dependent on very quickly. Statistics have shown that the nicotine in 1 e-cigarette can equal 50 cigarettes. The government doesn’t monitor how vaping products are developed so there are no rules around what can be put in them. Even those e-cigarettes/vaping that say they don’t have any nicotine in them, often do.