3rd OverallPROJECT TITLE
Safety InSight
PROJECT GOAL: Students are exposed to harmful chemicals released by vaping devices while in enclosed spaces at school, preventing equitable access to clean and safe air. We want to give students the opportunity to know what they are being exposed to so they can make informed choices about the spaces they enter.
For this project, we conducted thorough research into the dangers of vaping. Applying this to the driving question, there have been many realizations of the inequity that vape, and the traces left behind contribute to the inequity for students in schools. According to a survey conducted in all grade levels at our school (98 responses), about 75% of students experience vaping (at least once per month) with 17% of students not wanting to go into the bathrooms at all because of vaping. One major place for vaping is in the bathroom, where students will go to vape without the watchful eyes of teachers and staff. Unknowing students walk into these small spaces and become exposed to harmful chemicals. According to the American Heart Association, secondhand vape “Exposure to fine particles, or microscopic particles capable of reaching deep into the lungs, can worsen heart and lung disease, and even lead to premature death”. With 2.5 million teens vaping there are serious health risks for anyone who unfortunately gets caught in a space someone else vaped. These health risks are a primary factor in the push for reduced vape exposure at our school and throughout the United States.
2nd Overall
