Schools Fight Back Against Vaping Right Before 1st NY Teen Death

EAST HAMPTON, NY — Just days before the first New York fatality related to vaping was reported Tuesday, two school districts in the Hamptons took steps to fight back.

A teenager from The Bronx became the first New Yorker to die from vaping last week, state officials said Tuesday. The 17-year-old boy treated at Montefiore Hospital is among nearly two dozen people across the nation whose deaths have been linked to the use of electronic cigarettes, officials said.

Just days earlier, the East Hampton and Southampton school districts addressed the prevalence of vaping in their schools during two town hall-style sessions on Oct. 2 and 3.

During the forums, titled “Vaping: Harming Our Kids and Stealing Our Tax Dollars,” students and administrators spoke openly about their experiences related to vaping devices, such as e-cigarettes.

“The current vaping epidemic has created a health crisis. It has become so prevalent that it is now directly impacting our programs and resources,” said Southampton High School Principal Dr. Brian Zahn. “This forum has helped bring to light the issues surrounding the problem and opened a dialogue about protecting our young people.”

Two national experts on the topic, Dr. Victor DeNoble and Dr. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, were among the speakers to address the insidious issue.

Dr. DeNoble, the district said, worked in the tobacco industry in the 1980s and was among the first clinicians to warn the public about the dangers of vaping. Dr. Halpern-Felsher is a professor at Stanford University whose research focuses on understanding how young adults make health-related decisions, the district added.

The experts also spoke to students in small sessions throughout the school day during their visits.

“We hope that these town hall sessions have raised awareness about this ongoing problem,” said Southampton Superintendent of Schools Nicholas Dyno. “It is a crisis that must be addressed.”

The New York teen's death was reported Tuesday to the state Department of Health, which is investigating the case, officials said.

The health department is exploring whether the teen used a nicotine e-cigarette or a black-market marijuana vape device like the ones that have been linked to dozens of lung illnesses across New York, agency spokesperson Jill Montag said.The boy may be the 20th person in the United States to die from a vaping-related illness amid an outbreak of lung ailments linked to the habit.

"Parents have to know, young people have to know: You are playing with your life when you play with this stuff," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at an unrelated news conference at his Manhattan office.

The boy was first treated for a "vaping-associated respiratory illness" early last month and was hospitalized again in late September before his Oct. 4 death, according to the Democratic governor's office.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had confirmed 18 vaping deaths in 15 states as of Oct. 1, and another was reported in Massachusetts on Monday.

A total of 110 people across New York State have come down with serious lung illnesses after using at least one vape product, according to the state health department. Officials have attributed most of those cases to black-market cannabis vape devices rather than nicotine-based e-cigarettes sold in stores.

State authorities have moved to . ban flavored e-cigarettes, but a pending lawsuit blocked the measure from taking effect last week.

Cuomo has also taken a firm stance, calling for action from President Donald Trump's administration to combat the health risks of vaping. Trump's Food and Drug Administration announced plans in September to clear flavored vaping products from the market, but the nationwide ban is not yet in place.

"I don't know how many people have to die before he takes action, but the state is already taking aggressive action," Cuomo said.