Edinburgh school installs vape detectors

A secondary school in Edinburgh is one of a number of schools in the UK that has installed vape detectors in its toilets.

Head teacher of the The Royal High school, Pauline Walker says she wanted to deal with the problem of vaping in her school by introducing the detectors that let out a high-pitched alarm if someone vapes nearby.

“We want to send a message loud and clear. Vaping is not acceptable. We will not permit it. We will not promote it,” she said.

There are concerns about the amount of children in the UK who are using vapes, which should only be sold and used by people who are aged 18 or older.

Figures from the Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) charity suggest 7.6% of 11 to 17-year-olds now vape regularly or occasionally, up from 4.1% in 2020.

Vapes, also known as electronic or e-cigarettes, are small devices that hold a liquid containing an addictive substance called nicotine in addition to a number of chemicals.

This liquid heats up, creating a vapour, which is inhaled by the person using it.

Vapes are seen as good replacements for adults who are trying to stop smoking cigarettes as they don’t contain another harmful ingredient called tobacco.

The NHS says that vaping is not as harmful as smoking, but nicotine, which vapes do contain can contribute to health problems.

There has also been criticism over the packaging of vapes, which often includes bright colours that are described as being appealing to children.

Speaking to the BBC in Scotland, the school says that vaping has been a problem which has affected pupils aged as young as 11 in S1 up to 17 in S6, whereas problems with cigarettes tended to be an issue for older year groups.

BBC Scotland News contacted Scotland’s 32 local authorities to ask about vaping in schools. Not every council could provide information – but of 10 that did respond, data showed that in the last five years, at least 770 vapes were confiscated at schools in those areas.

The Royal High school has spent around £1,000 on the new vape detectors, which were wired into the school’s bathrooms at the start of March.

Since then, the school school says it has had “almost zero [alarm] activations” in its toilets.

The detectors work like smoke detectors, but they pick up chemicals that are present in vape mist instead.

If pupils vape, the alarms go off immediately and a text message is sent to school staff.

Pupil support teacher Iain Welsh says the problem with children vaping at the school has been a “constant battle”, but added that “the detectors are going to be a game changer.”