Vaping: Is the Latest Trend Among Teens Safe?
- Details
- Written by Stacie M. Waldman
- Hits: 173791
Have you heard your teenager mention hookah pens? How about vape pens, e-hookahs, hookah sticks, or e-pens? The action of smoking one is called "vaping."
Though they go by different names, they're one in the same. Hookah pens are slick, convenient, portable, colorful, flavorful e-cigarette-type devices becoming increasingly popular among pre-teens and teens. Cigarettes are known to be cancer causing and drugs are illegal, but teens of today are finding new ways to circumvent both the unhealthy and unacceptable with the use of hookah pens.
Why are teens drawn to hookah pens?
Hookah pens are marketed as being nicotine free if desired (unlike cigarettes and e-cigarettes) as well as tobacco and tar free. In other words, they are being marketed as safe. They are sold with different "juices" touted as containing only propylene glycol, glycerin, flavoring, and water; or the same ingredients that are in your salad dressings and shampoos. Flavors are tempting and seductive: cotton candy, mountain dew, sensual vanilla, chocolate candy bar, jungle juice, mocha latte, energy, and bubble gum among others. The pens are cheap, disposable, and don't need to be cleaned or maintained. Youtube videos show people doing tricks with the vapor created by heating, inhaling, then exhaling the pen juice in the vaporized form. Companies that produce hookah pens have come up with savvy slogans and terms such as "live loud, make clouds," "make your own smoke art," "fresh, outdoor clouds," "sun filled clouds," "airbending," and "vape towers."
Are hookah pens safe?
The perception is that they are much safer than cigarettes and even risk-free due to the seemingly innocuous ingredients in them. They are being aggressively marketed this way as well. However, questions abound and they are not even recommended for smoking cessation purposes. Jon Ebbert, MD, Assistant Director of the Mayo Clinic's Nicotine Dependence Center, told Science Daily, "...vaping creates a vapor cloud that resembles cigarette smoke. As of right now, there is no long-term safety data showing the impact of repeated inhalation of propylene glycol or glycerin on lung tissue."
Propylene glycol and glycerin, while common and shown to be safe in foods and beauty supplies, have not been extensively studied in humans in their inhaled forms. Hookah pens haven't been around long enough to be scientifically studied and they are essentially unregulated. Most pens are manufactured in China and there is limited quality control. Recourse (such as suing a company) would likely be limited if they are found to put your health at risk. Companies cite "a study" on their websites that showed that hookah pens were safe but the study has no citation, likely because the study was not published and/or publishable.
Is vaping addictive?
Nicotine-free hookah pens aren't likely to be addictive, but may be habit forming. According to a New York Times article published this past March, "...health officials worry that...[it]will lead to increased nicotine use and, possibly, prompt some people to graduate to cigarettes". Is the hookah pen industry eluding lawmakers by promoting their nicotine-free hookah pens to teenagers with the thought that young "vapers" will eventually graduate to the more addictive nicotine-laced hookah pen juice? There is also a legitimate concern that refillable vape pens can be used to surreptitiously smoke more dangerous products with no incriminating odor.
Can you purchase them legally if you're below 18 years of age? How are they purchased?
That depends on where you try to purchase them. Hookah pens are often labeled as nicotine-free and tobacco-free and they are relatively new to the marketplace. It is unclear whether they are safe or dangerous. Therefore, many states and counties do not yet have laws around the sale and use of these devices. It is unclear whether your child would be sold a hookah pen at a store. One thing is clear, however. The hookah pen business on the internet is booming and it is very easy to purchase them online with discounts offered for bulk purchases. They're cheap- between $6-10 for the disposable pens and $20 and up for the non-disposable ones. Of note, one of the larger hookah pen manufacturers and distributors just received financing to the tune of $4.7 million in order to expand its presence across the United States.
With funding like this and investors and celebrities picking up on the trend, expect that hookah pen use will only be increasing in our schools and in our area.
Have you heard of hookah pen use in Scarsdale? Share your thoughts below!
Don't Ask, Don't Tell: Questions Not to Ask – or Answer—in Scarsdale
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 7822
The competition practically begins when the child is in the womb. Parents, often well-meaning, strike up a conversation by asking nosy questions that in any other circumstance would be rude to ask. Asking a pregnant woman how much weight she has gained, or asking the mom or a toddler why he or she is so small are just two of the inappropriate questions that make new mothers grimace.
And it only gets worse as the children get older. Parents compare athletic prowess, academic achievement and even popularity. Nothing is off the table.
So what topics should you avoid?
Here are some of the questions that I was hit with during my three children's journey from nursery school to graduation. Often caught off guard by prying acquaintances and strangers, I rarely came up with a clever response at the time and usually ended up spilling the beans and divulging something I didn't want to broadcast.
Be prepared and be a good friend. Here's the list of my top questions not to ask and definitelynot to answer.
(To the parents of a 4 year-old)
Q. Will you be holding your child back or sending him/her to kindergarten next year?
(To the parents of elementary school kids)
Q. Is your son/daughter trying out for travel soccer (baseball, or basketball) as the case may be – followed up with the question that strikes even more dread, Did your child make the team?
Q. Do you dress her in those same pants everyday or does she insist on wearing them?
(To the parents of sixth graders:)
Q. Did your son/daughter get in to advanced or honors math?
(To the parents of seventh graders)
Q. Is your son/daughter invited to so and so's Bar or Bat Mitzvah this weekend?
(Here's one I got from a pushy friend on the train whom I did not intend to invite to my daughter's bat mitzvah)
Q. Tell me the date of your upcoming Bat Mitzvah so I can mark it on my calendar.
(To the parents of high school students – the questions grow more intense!)
Q.Is your son/daughter going to be in Civ Ed?
Q. Was your son asked to the St. Vincent's dance?
Q. What did your son/daughter score on the SAT's or ACT's?
Q. Which SAT II's is your child taking?
Q. Is your son/daughter applying early decision to college?
Q. So – where is your son/daughter applying to college?
Q. Has you son/daughter gotten in anywhere yet?
And even graduating college does not stop the questions .... they want to know:
Q. Does your child have a job yet?
Q. Is your child 'off the payroll? Living at home?
Q. Are your kids "seeing" anyone? Engaged?
Q. When is your son/daughter having a baby?
Pretty soon your kids will start getting these same questions about their own children and the cycle will begin again.
What questions do you dodge? Share them in the comments section below:
Child Safety, First and Always
- Details
- Written by Jamie Kayam
- Hits: 11213
As the parents of two very young children, my wife and I often size up up how to keep our kids safe....s ometimes, perhaps too much, but our concerns are almost always justified.
Bike Helmets: While driving in our car locally from Post Road onto Mamaroneck Road we were astounded to see a young girl (no more than 10-years old) riding her bike downhill towards the intersection next to a crowd of aggressive cars, without wearing a helmet! Her father and another young girl appeared just after her, not a helmet in sight.
According to Helmets.org, New York State requires all bike riders under the age of 14 to wear a helmet.
In the neighboring Town of Greenburgh (including Edgemont and Hartsdale), they've taken the issue even further by requiring all bike riders to wear a helmet no matter their age, while in the Town of Eastchester helmets are required for all bike riders under 19.
In Greenburgh you may have even observed street signs that advertise the local law, yet in the Village of Scarsdale there's no public effort to build awareness for wearing a helmet. The only place in Scarsdale we've observed helmet mandates was once on the Bronx River Parkway when it was opened for bike riding, and only at a checkpoint where a Westchester County Police Officer was present.
If you've got a kid with a bicycle, or even just a scooter, get a helmet and make sure they always wear it when riding.
Child-Safe Windows: We just made quick friends with our new neighbors; they've got kids, we've got kids, so we went next door for a party.
I trailed my 3-year old inside as he bolted upstairs to follow the noise of kiddie chatter so he could get in on the action. While downstairs I (neurotically) locked their front screen door. On the second floor of their house I immediately observed open windows everywhere, completely accessible to the children. I immediately started closing windows.
It's been 23 years since the musician Eric Clapton lost his son Conor, who had fallen out of and apartment window. A two-story house might not be as tall, but all it takes is one fall.
We have a variety of child safety locks installed throughout our home's windows, specifically on the second floor, ranging from inexpensive locks you can buy at Home Depot or online, to more custom "chain door-guards" that limit the range on windows that require winding a handle to swing open. We also remove all winding handles when not in use to prevent our kids from accessing those windows.
Additionally, if you've got a home alarm system, it can be helpful to add secondary magnet strips to all sliding windows so they can remain slightly opened while appearing "closed" to the alarm system, this way when a slightly-opened window is opened even more, the alarm will sound. In our house, when a window or door is opened, we know.
If you've got kids in your house, get child safety locks installed on every window and use them, and if you're in a house without them, don't take your eyes off of your kids.
Electricity: The other day I heard a scream from another room and ran in to find my and our son, who had just gotten electrocuted. Luckily our kid's science experiment was short-lived as the circuit breaker cut the power from an extension cord we had forgotten under our bed — I only discovered the power was out later when, downstairs, I found our refrigerator wasn't on.
My mother likes to joke that when I was a kid, I stuck a key in an electrical outlet and got shot across the room. While that's probably an exaggeration, some argue I'm still recovering.
If you've got little kids you need to put safety covers in all open electrical outlets, and make sure all accessible extension cords are covered as well.
Street Access: The NY Post recently reported that on Father's Day, 6-year old Tess Burstein, was accidentally hit and killed by a car in Watermill, NY, while crossing the street — without adult supervision. Our hearts and prayers go out to the family in grieving, and we should also take this moment to pledge not to let our young children have access to any street without supervision.
No matter how calm or quiet a road may seem, it is not safe for little children.
Does your young child play in your backyard? Do they have access to the street out front or neighboring properties? Consider installing a fence or gate to keep them safe.
Sharp Objects, Cleaning Products and Medications: We have a beautiful set of butcher knives that had always sat in a block on our kitchen counter — but no more. Now that our son has the ability to reach the counter, those knives have been moved to higher ground.
We've also installed child safety locks on kitchen cabinets where we store hazardous cleaning products, and have moved all bottles of medications to higher shelves. Hire a handyman or just do it yourself, these are easy projects that you should not put off.
We also have gates to close-off access to rooms and stairs, but as our older son has now gotten tall enough to scale the fence, we've taken the time to install keyed-locks on desk drawers to keep him out of the things he shouldn't have access to.
It doesn't end: We just retired our changing table for our 10-month old. A few weeks ago while I was changing his diaper, he squirmed out of my grip and then fell chin-first into the table's wooden frame and bit his tongue open with his first two teeth. Now I change him on our bed. I noticed at his daycare they use a much larger changing table that is cushioned from corner-to-corner and lacks any hard material that could harm a baby.
A good friend who's got kids a decade ahead of ours likes to remind me that as they get bigger so shall the problems. I'm sure he's right. But with a couple of fearless babies in our house we've got to be ever-vigilant in protecting them now, and it's not easy — they always seem to find the weakest link, but it's our job to keep trying.
Take child safety seriously!
This article was contributed by concerned Greenacres dad Jamie Kayam.
Class of 2014 Gets it Right
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 6338
As senior class advisors Kendra Claussen and Oren Iospovici noted, there was little drama surrounding the graduation of the class of 2014 and very few bumps along the way for this congenial class during their progression through four years at the high school. ... no drunken homecoming dance, stairwell gridlock or pranks before Junior Olypics to mark their passage. This class seemed to have done it right and enjoyed four years of exploration, education and fun, making the most of their time at Scarsdale High School.
Even the weather was perfect for the commencement ceremony on Friday June 27 at Dean Field –fair skies and manageable temperatures obviated the need for the ambulances which two years ago carried fainting observers from the stands during a heat wave.
The cooperative class of 356 students convened at the gym at 9 am for their last photo opp before lining up in alphabetical order to parade across the span of SHS and onto Dean Field where they were greeted by parents, grandparents, teachers and administrators.
After "Pomp and Circumstance" from the high school band, School Board President Suzanne Seiden thanked the parents for "getting students into these seats today," and told the graduating seniors that they have made lifelong friends with classmates who will share their joys and sorrows in the years to come. She encouraged the students to relish and preserve these relationships with their fellow students as well as teachers, deans and coaches. Telling the students they have "learned how to learn" she encouraged the to be engaged citizens, to demonstrate "non sibi", to care deeply about the lives and others and last to seize each and everyday.
This graduation marked retiring Superintendent Michael McGill's last in Scarsdale and he gave his farewell remarks, providing insight into his own educational path and providing some sage advice to the graduates.
We learned that McGill's father was a dean at SHS while he was growing up in Chappaqua. Despite his father's passion for education, it was not until 11th grade that McGill became excited about school when an English teacher changed his life and helped him make sense of the world. Ultimately this passion for education led McGill to follow his father into the family business, education. He told the SHS students that they had received an education that is "second to none," and lamented the fact that many in the U.S. do not have the same opportunity. He urged the class to help others in the U.S. to receive great educations, saying, "How else will we make the promise of democracy real? How will you change the world?
He then provided some more personal parting words of wisdom to the young audience:
He said:
-Persevere in finding love, as love endures.-Endure calamity and emerge stronger from the experience
-You don't need to have an answer to every problem
-Let things come to you; serendipity can yield pleasant surprises
-Kiss your parents and tell them you love them (which brought tears to the eyes of many in the audience.)
He ended by telling the departing seniors to "go the distance, take it one game at a time, believe in yourself and remember that the game ain't over till it's over. You are the shining class of 2014. You are Scarsdale. Much is expected of you. Go forth, be good people and make the world a better place."
Class Advisor Kendra Claussen and Oren Iosepovici said it was difficult to be funny when things had run so smoothly. After pausing for a "selfie" with Dr. McGill they reminisced about Jr. Olympics, the carnival, the senior class play and four years of an outstanding experience for the class the advisors.
Class Vice President Julia Feldstein thanked the faculty and staff for "supporting us, educating us and teaching us independence," and parents who "shared the journey" and passed on their "values, work ethic and passion." Class President Chris D'Silva claimed that "We are the best class the school has had in the visible past and the foreseeable future." He boasted that clubs exploded with activity and there was "never a boring school day." He said, "we connected as a community," and remembered two classmates who passed away, Tyler Madoff and Allana Calder saying "we all felt a sense of loss .... They are truly missed." (The class remembered Madoff by pinning blue ribbons to their graduatio robes.) D'Silva encouraged his classmates to "keep what we have built – to never forget the relationships and what we have learned." He ended by saying "Together we changed the school, now we can change much more."
Principal Kenneth Bonamo recalled radio personality Casey Kasem the man behind "The American Top 40 show" where he played and counted down the top songs on the radio. Bonamo sent out a pre-emptive "long distance dedication" to the class of 2014 telling that that "we have prepared you well enough that you might succeed." Echoing Kasem's signature sign-off after he played the #1 song he said, "Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars." He advised the class to "honor your past as you seek your future."
With that, Dr. McGill and Principal Bonamo certified the class of 2014 and they filed forth to receive their diplomas. After 356 students shook hands with the principal, were photographed in front of the flag, everyone returned to their seats to toss their hats aloft. The ceremony went off without a hitch – just like the class of 2014's four years at SHS. Hats off to you.
If you have a photo of your grad you would like to add to the photo gallery, please email it to scarsdalecomments@gmail.com.
LWVS Sends Two SHS Students to Albany
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 4954
The League of Women Voters of Scarsdale sent SHS Sophomore Matthew Drescher and Junior Daniel Wasserman to the Students Inside Albany conference as part of its youth outreach program in May.
Students Inside Albany is an intensive four-day conference designed to immerse students in the process by which public policy is proposed, revised and enacted in New York State and to educate them as to how they can influence and affect this process. The cost of the conference, including hotel and meals, is borne by the League of Women Voters New York State Education Foundation, Inc. and our Scarsdale League.
One of the highlights for the students was spending an afternoon with Assemblywoman Amy Paulin from our Assembly district. Daniel Wasserman, who was familiar with Assemblywoman Paulin's policies and reputation prior to this conference, said "it was truly a privilege to meet with her and watch her in action on the Assembly floor." Matthew Drescher reported that he "loved every minute of the conference, meeting all the new people who shared common interests with me, and learning about a common issue we are all passionate about: school... and especially school funding." The students enjoyed meeting other high school students from around the state as they learned about lobbying and how State government affects teens personally.
Students interested in applying to attend the 2015 Students Inside Albany Conference should go to LWVS.org next fall to get details. Application eligibility includes sophomore, junior and senior students who attend Scarsdale High School or who reside in the school district.
