Low-Cost Vaping Detectors to Mitigate Teenage Vaping

In late 2018, the US Surgeon General declared youth vaping an epidemic. E-cigarettes are addictive and detrimental to physical health, often resulting in lifelong tobacco-product usage. Originally advertised as a method for quitting smoking, vaping (ie. the use of e-cigarettes) is now attracting millions of teenagers around the country. Our team completed surveys and conducted other research to gather current data on the problem. Our studies have confirmed that vaping is indeed a prevalent issue as 4 out of every 5 students are exposed to vaping at least once a day. One key reason for rampant vaping among high school students is that e-cigarettes are easily accessible and easily hidden. Today's commercially available vaping detectors are prohibitively expensive, preventing their widespread installation in schools around the country. Based on our research, we have developed a list of recommendations for vaping mitigation among youth. A major item on the list is a low-cost, affordable, and reliable vaping detector that can be readily deployed in school environments.