How to spot the signs your son or daughter is vaping

Surgeon general warns parents to be on alert

MADISON, Wis. — Vaping among teens is now considered an epidemic by the U.S. Surgeon General, with more than a third of high school seniors reporting they’ve vaped within the past 12 months.

What can you do as a parent to make sure your kid doesn’t become part of another statistic?

The surgeon general is urging parents to be aware of what vaping devices look like, have open conversations with their kids about vaping as early as kindergarten, and watch for signs their kids are vaping.

Those signs include your son or daughter going outside or to the bathroom during family events or smelling a sweet odor on your child’s clothes or in their room, which they may try to cover up with air fresheners. They may also complain of being thirsty, have nose bleeds, and could be irritable or anxious.

Federal health officials are currently investigating nearly 200 cases of severe lung illnesses among vapers. Symptoms include shortness of breath, chest pain, and flu-like exhaustion. Within several days, these vapers are ending up in a hospital, hooked up to an oxygen tank.

Not only do doctors not know the long-term ramifications of what the lungs of these patients will look like in several years, but they don’t know the impact second-hand e-cigarette aerosol is having on other teens.

Even if your kid doesn’t vape, they could still be impacted by it. About 33 percent of all middle school and high school students are exposed to second-hand aerosol.

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