“We are speaking on the dangers of vaping trying to make our youth in the area aware of some of the consequences with the decision to use vaping as an alternative,” Griggs said.
Ohio has had 75 confirmed cases of pulmonary illnesses related to vaping with 92% resulting in hospitalization.
RELATED: First vaping-related illness confirmed in Clark County
The Ohio Department of Health confirmed its first severe pulmonary illness related to vaping in Clark County on Dec. 4.
“We’ve had one confirmed (case) through the CDC, but we’ve realized that we’ve had a couple prior to it being a reportable event,” Griggs said. “Vaping is becoming more and more an issue because people look at it as a safe alternative to smoking when in reality it’s probably as dangerous, if not more dangerous, than smoking.”
Ivory told the students that there are over 15,000 vaping flavors.
She also said that “vaping is similar to second-hand smoke.”
As of Nov. 22, there have been 2,290 vaping-related lung injuries and 47 confirmed deaths in 45 states and the District of Columbia.
“The products are highly unregulated, there’re sources that you can get your vaping products that have no FDA regulations, you have no idea what the contents of those vaping products are and some of them contain a product that is disastrous for the lungs when it’s inhaled,” Griggs said. “It pretty much takes away the lungs function to be able to transmit oxygen into the blood stream and that’s what’s causing the deaths across the United States.”
RELATED: Tecumseh, Clark County work to combat increase in teen vaping
According to the Center for Disease Control’s latest survey, regular tobacco use is at an all-time low with 3.6 percent of high school seniors reporting smoking daily, but 37.3 percent of high school seniors reported vaping within the last 12 months.
One student at Graham High School said she appreciates Mercy Health officials coming out to talk to students about the dangers.
“I really appreciated how they came in with facts and statistics, how they backed everything up that they said,” Ally Collette, a senior, said. “It was really helpful.”
Since the use of vaping products in teens has risen, Mercy Health is working to educate them on the facts and dangers. This event is one of four that the Mercy Health team will make to schools in Champaign County.
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