BY ALEXANDRA REES
Students at Callaghan College Jesmond have blocked a toilet after flushing vaping devices earlier this month.
The school's senior study centre was temporarily closed on June 10th, due to the blockage.
A spokesperson for the Department of Education told the Newcastle Herald, vaping can have detrimental health consequences for youth.
"Harmful long term effects to the physical and brain development of young people are clear," the spokesperson said.
"The dangers of e-cigarettes are regularly discussed with students across New South Wales using the government's Vaping Toolkit, which includes evidence based resources and educational materials for parents, young people and schools."
Vaping can lead to seizures and in some cases be fatal, containing harmful substances found in cleaning products such as nail polish remover, weed killer and bug spray.
The incident has sparked an onset of disciplinary measures if students are caught vaping on school grounds.
Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly has described the epidemic as the second-leading health issue behind COVID-19.
