Are you familiar with the role of environmental health sensors? Vape detectors have become prominent on school properties in recent years due to the increase in vaping among the young population.
An alarming number of middle school and high school students sneak into locker rooms and school bathrooms to vape. Therefore, schools have started installing special sensors to detect vaping chemicals in the most common areas. When such chemicals are detected, notification alerts are sent to educators.
Vaping has a harmful effect not only on those who vape but also on those exposed to the vapor. The brains of young vapers are negatively influenced by THC and marihuana use, as full brain development doesn’t take place until the age of twenty-five.
Nowadays, there are companies, such as Zeptive, which specialize in developing and commercializing detection technologies.
Learn how environmental health sensors prevent vaping in schools.
What are vape detectors?
Vape detectors are designed to detect abnormalities in air quality in schools. When students vape in areas where these detectors are installed, the device sends an alert to faculties upon picking up harmful chemical traces. This practice can discourage students from harmful vaping and allow educators to track the activity in common areas, such as bathrooms, lockers, and busses.
With the installation of these health sensors in areas where students usually vape, the chances of getting students caught in the act are higher. These responsive devices are easy to use and install. They are either wired or battery-powered, enabling better prevention of cannabis and nicotine use in schools.
Students who don’t vape have no other alternative but to tolerate the secondhand aerosol when visiting the bathroom. Aerosol is considered harmful both to vapers and students exposed to the smoke, as it contains THC, nicotine, and various toxic chemicals.
Why should schools install such devices?
Given the vaping concern that most schools have, the installation of vape detectors seems to be the most logical decision. In the past, students used to sneak off into locker rooms and bathrooms to smoke cigarettes. Nowadays, this trend has switched from smoking to vaping. Unlike the smoke from cigarettes, e-cigarettes emit aerosol vapor. Find out more about the properties of the aerosol.
Moreover, aerosol cannot be detected by traditional smoke detectors. In contrast, vape detectors measure the air content for harmful chemicals and alert educators when students practice vaping on school properties. As mentioned previously, the inhalation of secondhand smoke is harmful. The same goes for inhaling secondhand aerosol.
Vaping products are copious in nicotine, carcinogenic chemicals, THC, and other toxins. It’s, in fact, easier for secondhand aerosol particles to find their way into the respiratory system, thus causing asthma, lung tissue damage, cancer, and heart problems. As a result, the installation of vape detectors on campus reduces the risk of health problems for students who practice vaping and those who don’t.
Another reason why schools are encouraged to install vape detectors is to prevent developmental issues in students. The ingredients in vaping products are believed to impair the development of adolescent brains. In the course of adolescence, the minds and bodies of students develop and adapt until a person reaches early adulthood.
Adolescents are more susceptible to making hasty decisions based on emotional responses instead of logical reasoning. Consequently, it’s no wonder teenagers are more prone to taking risks. When students develop drug addiction, their developmental instability experiences an increase. The following link, https://www.edutopia.org/article/decoding-teenage-brain-3-charts, helps in decoding the teenage brain.
The brain regions responsible for memory, concentration, and decision-making are largely affected by nicotine. This leaves a tremendous impact on the learning of students and their overall health. When the brain is exposed to toxins, its development is affected negatively.
Another reason why schools should consider installing environmental health sensors is to spread awareness and fight addiction. School districts are supposed to implement different programs to inform young people about the effects of vaping and drug usage. By distributing the message that vaping is harmful to one’s health, students might become more worried and quit doing it.
Moreover, environmental health sensors in schools are effective in discouraging students from transitioning to other drugs. Vaping products contain nicotine, which is classified as incredibly addictive. Apart from nicotine, most vape juices contain THC, that’s also addictive and found in marihuana.
Schools are supposed to discuss the benefits of installing such detectors on school grounds with parents. Parents should be familiar with the long-term effects of vaping to see why these devices are worth being installed. As a result, parents can warn their children about the dangers whose origin is vaping. Parents and educators have the greatest influence on students, which is why vaping should be taken seriously.
Research into the long-term effects of vaping is still limited, meaning information is yet to be gathered. The long-term consequences of vaping are mainly related to the development of respiratory illnesses, which might escalate if these habits aren’t broken on time. Also, there have been some cases of seizures whose cause is vaping.
Another benefit for schools to install vape detectors is the investment in student safety. These detectors are a costly investment, but environmental health has no price. This technology is worth purchasing, as it works in favor of students by protecting their well-being.
How does marihuana affect the brain of adolescents?
According to research, marihuana is considered hazardous to young people, as their brains aren’t fully developed until they turn twenty-five. Consequently, marihuana use during adolescence is likely to cause physical brain changes, learning issues, memory issues, and poor life quality. Since the human brain isn’t fully developed until the age of twenty-five, adolescents smoking marihuana and THC have a greater sensitivity to negative health effects.
In addition, some of the health risks encompass physical changes to the brain, decreased memory, IQ, and attention, impaired driving ability, etc. Researchers believe that heavy use of marihuana might cause damage to the white matter of the brain and reduce gray matter. Such physical changes might trigger difficulties in making decisions, learning difficulties, etc.
THC has a negative influence on the brain, as it reduces the attention, memory, and IQ of users. When THC enters the body, it gets attached to the brain receptors responsible for memory making and focus. Individuals have problems remembering what they heard or saw, particularly in the first hours after consuming marihuana. Consequently, the school performance of students is likely to be affected.
Individuals who start to use marihuana from an early age before they turn eighteen are likelier to drop out of school and end up unemployed later in life. Also, the driving ability of users might end up impaired in terms of coordination and impulses. Driving while influenced by marihuana increases the likelihood of having a car accident. Marihuana users have higher chances of driving fast and going through a red light.
Is vaping responsible for increasing the risk of COVID-19?
Vaping is claimed to increase the risk of COVID-19 in teenagers and young adults using e-cigarettes. They are five to seven times likelier to get infected with the coronavirus, as it causes damage to lung health. Hence, students who vape are more prone to getting infected and developing severe symptoms when getting the virus.
Furthermore, the vaping act represents a threat by itself. When students vape, they breathe out lung secretions and toxic chemicals containing the virus. Bacteria are also collected when e-cigarette devices are shared by students.
E-cigarette use trends
The sales of e-cigarette devices are growing exponentially, even though experts predicted it would drop because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are a couple of popular flavors among users, such as tobacco, mint, and menthol. The sales of tobacco-flavored vapes have increased by more than eleven percent. Those of mint-flavored e-cigarettes became increased by 26 percent, whereas menthol-flavored vapes have almost doubled in sales.
The use of e-cigarettes among middle school and high school students remains problematic. Last year, approximately 3.6 million young Americans reported using e-cigarettes. Given the high number of vapers, the installation of environmental health sensors on school properties is of vital importance. A large portion of the young population shows symptoms of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.
The bottom line
Vape detection sensors are indeed useful in discouraging students from vaping.
Every school should consider installing them, as it’s a worthy investment that strives to protect the well-being of students!
