The use of E-cigarettes, electronic devices that heat oils or juice to produce flavored smoke, is popular among high school students. It's called vaping, and most young people think that it's not as dangerous as traditional cigarettes and that some of the cartridges contain only harmless vapor. That's not actually the case. Many vape pens use nicotine in highly concentrated amounts. The chemicals that are in the vapor have also been linked to respiratory problems, and some are contaminated with toxic metals like lead and substances like arsenic
A report from the US Surgeon General shows that use of vape pens among high school students has gone up 900% in the past few years. Approximately 1.7 million high school students have used vaping devices, and more than 500,000 middle schoolers have as well. The technology makes it a lot easier for kids to sneak a pen into classrooms or schools. Juul is the most popular brand, and the cartridges are tiny, resembling a USB drive. Educators at schools around the country are concerned about how to halt the use of the devices on their campuses. Because the oils and juices that are popular are fruit and candy flavored, kids don't truly believe they are harmful, and manufacturers of the pens exploit this in their marketing.