The number of youth in Canada using e-cigarettes almost doubled between the fall of 2017 to the fall of 2018.
"So in 2017 we saw about 8.4 per cent of youth ages 16 to 19 using vapes in the past 30 days, and then when they looked at another group again in 2018, that was up to almost 15 per cent," she said.
She said the legal sale of e-cigarettes with nicotine began in Canada in 2018.
The youth advisor for Tobacco prevention with the Grey Bruce Health Unit Brooke Thomsett is concerned about the promotion of vaping that is catching the attention of youth, with candy flavours and convenience store displays.
"Youth are being exposed to a lot of different promotion, whether it's in the community or even online, in different music videos, on social media," she explained.
She said parents should talk to their kids about the dangers of e-cigarettes.
"Question why that marketing is out there. A lot of the tobacco companies do own vape brands, and are heavily promoting those in many places," she said.
Thomsett said the e-cigarettes contain ingredients like propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin that heat up into other unhealthy chemicals.
"It just depends on what ingredients are in there, how high they're heated, and then how much, obviously, the person is using them," she added.
There have been reports in the US of lung damage in teens using the e-cigarettes.
