Mr. Finn installed an e-cigarette detection and alarm system in August 2024, primarily because he was extremely concerned about the health of his students.

“I was also concerned about the health of students who were not vaping but continued to inhale vaping smoke as well as second-hand smoke. And some young students were afraid to stand in groups vaping during recess or after school just to go to the bathroom.”

The school procured the e-cigarette alarm system through a UK-based company. “It was being installed in a number of schools in the UK and on the West Coast of the US. We looked at the testimonials and it seemed like it would meet our needs. We initially piloted it and found it to be successful.”

The Wexford school has more than 1,600 students and all 13 toilets are now equipped with the system, Mr Finn said. He said the alarm doesn’t make a sound when it goes off, but when the e-cigarette activates the sensor, it sends a message directly to his office and the school’s three vice principals.

“It’s a very sophisticated scientific system that allows us to know at what point the alarm was triggered. And the cameras in the hallway outside the bathrooms tell us who was there at the time.”

Although the system was “time-consuming to implement” and very expensive, Finn said it has significantly reduced the use of e-cigarettes in schools. “Currently, there are very few instances of vaping. They know they will get caught, and there is good supervision on site. But there is no question that vaping is still happening outside of school.”

He added that the school’s approach is to tackle e-cigarettes through education as well as enforcement: “We are running a campaign about the health effects and dangers of e-cigarettes through science and SPHE lessons.”

Finn reported that there was “no negative response” from students, saying, “They know that e-cigarettes are bad, and they know that it is currently illegal for anyone under 18 to sell or possess e-cigarettes.”

His parents are happy, he says. “In the early days [of the alarm system]some parents were shocked to find out their children were vaping. But it meant they had a chance to work on the problem with their child. ”

HSE campaign

Late last year, the HSE launched the ‘Take a Deep Breath’ campaign to highlight the risks of vaping products. A letter has been sent to all schools in Ireland warning them of the dangers of e-cigarettes and other nicotine delivery systems such as nicotine pouches.

Research from the European School Research Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) shows that experimentation and regular use of e-cigarettes is on the rise among young people. One in three students have tried e-cigarettes, one in six are current users and one in 13 have tried nicotine pouches.

Research carried out by Ipsos B&A for the HSE in September last year showed that exposure to e-cigarettes often starts early. The study, conducted with young people, parents and teachers, found that students can start experimenting as soon as they enter secondary school.

Parents also reported feeling overwhelmed and anxious due to a lack of clarity about available products, health effects, and what their children were experimenting with.

Professor Marcus Kennedy, Consultant Pulmonary Physician at Cork University Hospital, said there were a number of reasons why e-cigarettes were seen as an almost essential accessory among this important group of under-18s.

First of all, he says, teens will experiment, depending on their developmental stage. And there are many attractive things about vaping.

Mr Kennedy, who lectures on the dangers of nicotine at schools in Cork, said: “The packaging is different, the flavors are different, the colors are all different. Even though social media influencers are promoting it, it doesn’t smell like cigarettes at all.”

He says most young people don’t know that e-cigarettes are generally perceived to be even more addictive than cigarettes. “You get more nicotine when you inhale. Because the concentration of nicotine is higher when you take a puff, you get a higher concentration of nicotine in your blood than when you smoke a cigarette.

“The nicotine in one small disposable e-cig is equivalent to the nicotine in two packs of 20 cigarettes.”

Kennedy found that teens are “uninformed” about the harms vaping can cause. “They generally think it’s much safer than cigarettes.”

However, he says research from the Health Research Council shows that teens who use e-cigarettes are three to five times more likely to start smoking than children who never use e-cigarettes.

What’s in a VAPE?

The HSE’s 2021 ‘E-cigarette and tobacco use among young people in Ireland’ focus group survey was carried out in three schools: a boys’ school in Cavan, a girls’ school in Sligo and a co-ed school in Louth.

When asked what they thought e-cigarettes contained, most people thought e-cigarettes contained nicotine, but some were not sure. Some people think that some e-cigarettes do not contain nicotine, others think that they contain water, and some think that they contain flavoring.

Some of the responses included, “It’s addictive because it contains nicotine,” “I think you can choose between nicotine or no nicotine, or you can add nicotine yourself,” as well as “I don’t know what’s in it.”

Kennedy points out that e-cigarettes are aerosols, and he wants students to understand that they’re not just “inhaling nicotine with water,” but “they’re also inhaling tons of other chemicals.” “Most of them contain propylene glycol, which is also found in antifreeze and acetone. It’s also found in nail polish remover, formaldehyde, and several other ingredients.”

The danger spans multiple body systems. “Nicotine is well known to damage the developing brain and lead to decreased concentration. Nicotine affects memory and concentration span. Nicotine from e-cigarettes is known to cause heart disease, increasing blood pressure and heart rate, which can lead to coronary heart disease.”

“This is associated with lung disease. E-cig flavors such as cinnamon can damage the lungs. Some people have come to the hospital with actual lung damage from vaping,” he warned, adding that tooth decay “seems to be increasing in people who vape.”

Signs to look out for

The HSE suggests that it may be difficult to know if your child is vaping, but there may be signs such as:

• There is a strange odor on your clothes or in your room.
• Dehydration – drinking more water than usual or developing dark circles around the eyes
• nosebleed
• cough
• sleep problems
• change in appetite
• Feeling more irritable or anxious than usual.

Kennedy recommends discussing this with your child.

“Ask if you’ve seen people vaping. Talk about side effects and making healthy choices in general. Discuss how vaping is not safe, that it’s highly addictive and can affect memory and concentration. Also, talk about how avoiding high concentrations of nicotine can make people aggressive.”

“Let’s also think from an environmental perspective: the number of single-use e-cigarettes sold in Ireland each year is huge and they are not recyclable.”

Mr Kennedy pointed to the Irish government’s Tobacco 21 strategy, which aims to raise the legal age to purchase tobacco and nicotine products to 21 by 2028, which he said would be a huge help to teenagers. “You may be able to enter even if you are 18 years old.” [to retailer] While a 15-year-old may buy vapes, a 21-year-old is unlikely to buy vapes or cigarettes for someone under 18. ”

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