On Monday, Dec. 9, Vashon Alliance to Reduce Substance Abuse (VARSA), as a part of its ongoing mission of education and prevention for island youth, hosted the Washington Poison Center at McMurray Middle School for a community presentation on vaping: “Vaping 101: The Truth Behind the Haze.”

Representatives from the Washington Poison Center shared statistics at the public meeting. They painted a picture of increasing use trends of vaping products in youth between 2017 and 2019, in both high school and middle school students across Washington state.

Vaping is considered to be a popular alternative to cigarettes, in which a person uses a battery-operated device to inhale vapor that contains flavorings and additives.

“It’s something you can do and no one can smell it or see it,” said Lisa Bruce, coalition coordinator at VARSA.

People often think of it as a safer option than smoking, but health officials say it is just as dangerous — if not more so.

Middle and high schoolers gravitate toward these vaping devices because they can be small and look similar to everyday items, like USB flash drives, making them easy to hide, according to sources The Beachcomber spoke to for the story.

There has been ample news coverage nationwide regarding the harmful effects of vaping. The Centers for Disease Control has reported 2,290 cases of vaping product lung injury cases across the country and 47 deaths as of Nov. 20.

One in five high school students have used vaping products in the last 30 days, an increase of 78% from 2017 to 2018, and 1 in 20 middle school students, an increase of 48% in the same period, according to a report used by the poison center called The Healthy Youth Survey.

But when it comes to island youth and their use of vaping products, “Vashon is its own unique place,” according to Bruce.

“Talking to people from rural communities… rates are higher when you are more isolated,” she said.

Citing the statistics from the Healthy Youth Survey, Bruce said the number of eighth and eleventh graders on the island who vape are higher than the state average.

Sarah Day, the nurse at McMurray Middle School, said vaping is an issue at the school.

“There are certainly plenty of students who are caught vaping at school or kids that talk about JUULing (a popular brand of e-cigarette devices),” she said.

But, Day said, many of these same students want to stop using nicotine.

There is a strong network of youth resources on the island, according to Bruce. She partners with health officials and other resource networks on island, as well as resources from the state and county like the poison center, to develop prevention programs based on the Healthy Youth Survey data.

As a part of these programs — in part funded by a state grant called the Washington State Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative — every student in the seventh and eighth grades attends a resource panel, once a year during the school day in which they are introduced to island resources and have the opportunity to ask honest questions about vaping, alcohol and drug use, healthy relationships and personal safety.

This year’s panel included representatives from a variety of island resources including, the fire department, the Dove Project, Neighborcare Health, Vashon Youth and Family Services, substance abuse and mental health counselors and the two poison center visitors from the state. The panels are set up by McMurray Middle School staff.

Day is another resource for island youth.

“They don’t need to suffer in silence or worry about a friend,” Day said. “There are lots of systems in place to help students and families.”

Megan King, public health education and communications specialist for the Washington Poison Center delivered facts on vaping to the crowd that had gathered on Monday night.

From one standard cigarette, 8.7% of nicotine is absorbed by the body, King said, while up to 94% of nicotine is absorbed per pod from an e-cigarette.

The presentation outlined vaping’s health impacts, too. These include a wide variety of illnesses — both mild and moderate — such as an increased heart rate or nausea and dizziness. More severe impacts include lung disease and death.

Peter Ghigleri, an eighth grade student , told The Beachcomber, his class has been learning a lot about drug prevention.

“This presentation went a lot more in-depth,” he said. “I learned a lot about how [and] what different drugs effect.”

Peter’s mother, Peggy,and his younger brother, were also in attendance.

“There is a whole lot of misinformation and misperception [about vaping] and how dangerous [it is] to them and that it is not less dangerous than smoking,” Peggy said.

Moana Trammell, the student assistant professional at Vashon Island High School, said parental involvement ensures support for island youth and comes full circle. Island resources are vital to the support of youth and so is parental support, she said.

Correction: This story was updated to reflect that Sarah Day is the nurse at McMurray Middle School. A story in the Dec. 19 edition listed an incorrect name for her.