KERSHAW COUNTY, S.C. — Vaping in the Midlands is becoming a problem for many school districts in the area.
According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there have been 2,051 cases of e-cigarette or vaping product use associated with lung injury. There have been 39 confirmed deaths tied to vaping and e-cigarettes in 24 states.
The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and CDC say the cause of the lung injuries has not been identified. The commonality is patients have reported the use of e-cigarette or vaping products.
The CDC updates this information weekly here.
In South Carolina, it is prohibited to use any type of tobacco product or alternative nicotine on school grounds. However, many school districts in the Midlands continue to deal with teens vaping inside schools.
With the rise of vapes that look like common place things, vaping is getting more and more difficult to spot.
According to Lt. Dexter Hardy with the Kershaw County Sheriff's Department, teens are getting smarter about hiding their vapes.
Teens are using products to mask the tool like smart watches, hoodies, and USB-drive look-a-likes.
As schools work to eliminate the use of vapes, administrators say they need the help of parents.
Lt. Hardy says he has a few ways to spot if a child may be vaping.
"I think one of the telltale signs for me is, if a child is vaping, they often want to step outside and not be around their parents and things of that nature. And, if a child has to get up and go outside every so often, to me that's a clue. Why are you continuously trying to go outside? What are you doing outside?" says Lt. Hardy.
Shane Robins, Kershaw County School District Superintendent, says the problem has exploded in the last several years.
According to Robins, students don’t get caught as frequently because of look-a-like devices. He says they are working on new detection devices to put in hallways so they can catch offenders more often.
"The look-a-likes are the biggest thing. But, because it dissipates in the air so quickly and you can’t smell it, they can pretty much do this wherever they want. So, one thing we are looking at is detection devices,” says Robins, “There are devices out there that detect vapes, specifically. So, that's a mechanism we are going to use to curb vaping in schools."
Robins hopes to have the funding for these devices quickly so they can implement them at area schools.