Cape Town - The Western Cape Education Department is concerned at the rise in the number of young children caught for possession of e-cigarettes,
It is understood that children as young as 11-years-old are experimenting with vaping.
The WCED said that in 2022, at least five children were caught red-handed with e-cigarettes on school grounds. But many more cases go unreported.
The department encouraged School Governing Bodies (SGBs) to include the non-use of vaping as part of the code of conduct at schools.
WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said vaping was a new avenue and that the numbers had increased since last year.
“The use of e-cigarettes/vaping in schools is not governed by specific regulations – due to the lack of regulation at a national level,” Hammond said.
“However, schools classify the use and possession of e-cigarettes as the same as tobacco cigarettes in terms of banned substances on school property.
“While our Safe Schools reports indicate that there have been 5 cases of e-cigarettes possession or use in schools between Jan- Sept 2022, compared to 1 case in the same period last year, these stats are not generally an accurate reflection of the use and possession of e-cigarettes in schools.
“We are aware that many of these cases do go unreported and are dealt with by the SGB in terms of their school code of conduct.
“This generally results in a sanction, which varies from school to school.
“Therefore, the age of vape use in schools is not known, nor necessarily reported.
“School Governing Bodies are encouraged to ensure that the use of e-cigarettes/vapes is considered in their codes of conduct, if they have not already done so.”
A primary school, which cannot be identified, revealed that children between grades five to seven were caught vaping on school grounds.
A report by the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that e-cigarettes posed a health risk to both the user and non-user and was just as harmful for a child or adolescent’s health and mental development (as cigarettes).
The WHO said e-cigarettes were known as electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and sometimes electronic non-nicotine delivery systems (ENNDS).
The report added the systems to heat a liquid to create aerosols that are inhaled by the user, and these so-called e-liquids may or may not contain nicotine (but not tobacco) but also typically contain additives, flavours and chemicals that can be toxic to people’s health
“The aerosols generated by ENDS typically raise the concentration of particulate matter in indoor environments and contain nicotine and other potentially toxic substances. ENDS emissions therefore pose potential risks to both users and non-users,” the WHO said.
The world body further stated that the consumption of nicotine in children and adolescents had deleterious impacts on brain development, leading to long-term consequences and potentially lead to learning and anxiety disorders.
“ENDS use can also expose non-smokers and bystanders to nicotine and other harmful chemicals,” the WHO said.
“Accidental exposure of children to ENDS e-liquids pose serious risks as devices may leak, or children may swallow the poisonous e-liquid.”
In July, IOL reported that Dr Sharon Nyatsanza, deputy director of the National Council against Smoking (NCAS), said child interest in policy decision making, was key to preventing tobacco and nicotine use in children before it became a health issue - and that vaping was a risk, especially for children who were more vulnerable to nicotine than adults, and that vaping was highly addictive.
The Vapour Products Association of South Africa (VPASA) is campaigning for the use and regulation of these products for adult smokers, said Asanda Gcoyi, CEO of VPASA.
Professor Richard van Zyl-Smit from UCTs Lung Institute and consultant pulmonologist at Groote Schuur Hospital said e-cigarettes risked both the mental and lung development of a child.
“The first thing to remember is that the young person’s brain and lungs are still developing,” he said.
“The two major concerns is the exposure of a growing lung to the component of e-cigarettes, even some of the flavourents has been shown to damage lungs, but what is probably more of a concern for many of us in this space, is that the nicotine content in e-cigarettes can be quite high.
“And young developing brains are particularly sensitive to nicotine, nicotine rewires your brain and there are long term mental health effects associated with nicotine exposure, particularly in an adolescent brain.
Most of our concern is the adolescent brain being exposed to a high concentration of nicotine.”
For more information on the association's Youth Access Prevention Campaign click the link below: https://vpasa.org.za/protecting-young-people-is-a-collective-responsibility/