Pennsylvania State Police are currently investigating a Snapchat video that shows two Indiana County teenagers allegedly giving a 2-year-old child a vape pen. The toddler is seen puffing twice on the vaping device and then coughing. Afterward, the child falls to the ground and coughs while those in the background laugh.
According to the Indiana Criminal Investigation Unit, the suspects and the child have been identified and charges are pending. The United School District of Armagh, Pennsylvania, released a statement saying they believed two of their students, whose names were given to authorities, were involved.
“United administration was made aware of the video today, and the matter is being investigated by the authorities,” Superintendent Dr. Barbara Parkins said in the statement.
Vaping has grown in popularity among younger generations in recent years. Many believe it doesn’t pose the same risks as smoking cigarettes, yet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that the number of serious vaping illnesses has increased, to a total of 2,506 cases nationwide.
Many of these patients have been hospitalized with EVALI, an acronym for e-cigarette or vaping associated lung injury. A number of cases involve counterfeit vape pens as well as vitamin E oil, a carrier oil used in illegal vape devices. The CDC says that a combination of substances is causing fatigue, coughing, fever, trouble breathing, vomiting and diarrhea.
There have been 54 deaths reported in 27 states and Washington, D.C., while many more fatalities are under investigation. A report published by the American Journal of Public Health reveals that an increasing number of young people are experimenting with e-cigarettes. The percentage of children who have started using e-cigarettes by age 14 has tripled since 2014, from 9 percent in 2014, to 29 percent in 2018, the report said.
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According to the CDC, children can be poisoned if they swallow, breathe, or absorb e-cigarette liquid through their skin or eyes. In the U.S., nearly 50% of calls to poison control centers for e-cigarettes are for children 5 years of age or younger. Given that a child’s brain is in development until their mid-20s, nicotine can negatively impact attention, learning, mood, and impulse control.