Vaping Forum at SPHS | ‘What You Need to Know’

Learn everything you need to know about vaping during an informative session at South Pasadena High School on October 28

PHOTO: Eric Fabbro | SouthPasadenan.com News | South Pasadena High School

A parent education forum, “Vaping: What you need to Know,” will be the held at 7:15 p.m. on Monday, October 28, in the library at South Pasadena High School.

The event will be a part of the school’s general PTSA meeting starting at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free.

The presentation will be made by Albert Melena, executive director of San Fernando Valley Partnership, Inc.

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Topics covered during the meeting will be:

  • What does it mean to “vape.”
  • What are the different electronic delivery systems?
  • How are youth accessing vaping devices?
  • What are the health concerns related to vaping?
  • What are the signs that a child is vaping?
  • What are the consequences of vaping, on and off campus?

“To protect kids the American Lung Association reiterates its call for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to end the sale of all flavored tobacco products, including flavored e-cigarettes, flavored cigars and menthol cigarettes,” reads a statement on the issue from the American Lung Association. “We also support strong tobacco control laws without loopholes that might allow mint and menthol flavors to remain on the market. Fruit, mint and menthol are the most popular flavors among high school students using e-cigarettes, with two-thirds of kids using fruit-flavored e-cigarettes and 64 percent using mint or menthol e-cigarette flavors. Menthol in cigarettes makes it easier for kids to start using tobacco products because it masks the harshness of the smoke. Sales of flavored cigars have also increased by nearly 50 percent since 2008, and flavored cigars made up more than half (52.1 percent) of the U.S. cigar market in 2015.”

American Lung Association officials say the youth e-cigarette epidemic is extremely alarming, especially in light of the recent investigations into growing reports of vaping-related deaths and illnesses. “The inhalation of harmful chemicals found in e-cigarettes can cause irreversible lung damage and lung disease, and developing lungs are more at risk. We are facing a true public health emergency, and urgent action is required.”

The American Lung Association continues to educate the public about the health risks associated with vaping and all tobacco use, and reiterates the following guidance to community members: “Do not use e-cigarettes.”