Schools in crisis over vaping rise

He said internal departmental documents have shown that reported incidents of vaping had increased by 771 per cent in the space of one year and alarmingly, they also show that vaping is occurring in primary schools as well as high schools.
Calling for a plan action to tackle the problem, Mr Minns says the NSW Government can’t continue turning a blind eye while parents and teachers are reporting that kids are vaping in primary schools.
State MP for Auburn, Lynda Voltz, agreed, saying schools report vaping incidents to a Department of Education hotline and although the names of the schools were not released, those in Cumberland would not be immune.
She said there had been a tremendous increase in the reports of vaping and while they are harder to detect, “the health impacts are still great”.
“Despite nicotine being illegal in e-cigarettes and vapes, 21 per cent are still reported to include it and approximately 65 per cent contain chemicals whose long term use damage lungs,” she said.
“Importantly they are seen as highly influential in transitioning children to cigarettes and policing their use in schools, particularly with detection measures, is vital.”
NSW Labor has called for the implementation of e-cigarette detectors in common vaping spaces like bathrooms for schools where this problem is getting out of control and a health and safety campaign warning about the use, sale and sharing of e-cigarettes in schools, while also promising a roundtable on smoking and vaping in schools if elected.