Kids smoking in bathroom stalls and flushing their cigarette butts to avoid getting caught was a cliche of the 20th century. But the 21st century version is causing some real problems for a school in Maryland. Plastic vapes don’t flush as well as tobacco wrapped in paper.
At least four toilets have been destroyed in the past month after kids flushed vapes at Bel Air High School in Harford County, according to a report from CBS affiliate WJZ. Each toilet reportedly costs the school $200 when they’re replaced. Some of the toilets have also just been repaired rather than purchased new.
There was one point when every single bathroom in the school had a toilet that was not functioning because someone flushed a vape down them, according to WJZ. The school is now going to screen students for vaping devices using a metal detecting wand.
“Due to the frequency and severity of the issue, the School Safety Liaison began using a metal detecting wand to screen students for vaping devices as an interim measure in an effort to address this growing problem,” the Harford County school district said in a statement to CBS.
Vaping took off over combustible tobacco and cannabis products in the late 2010s but cigarettes still have a slight edge over e-cigarettes with American adults. But vaping is more popular with kids.
Rates for youth tobacco use are near historic lows with just 10.1% of high school students using any tobacco product and 7.8% using e-cigarettes for tobacco, according to the CDC‘s 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey. The annual study, which was started in 1999, was killed by the Trump regime in 2025.
One selling point for the switch from combustible tobacco products like cigarettes to vaping products was that people believed they were healthier. And while they’re theoretically better under theories of harm reduction, they come with their own problems. A new study out of Australia found that e-cigarettes can cause cancer.
“Nicotine-based e-cigarettes are likely to be carcinogenic to humans who use them causing an indeterminate burden of oral cancer and lung cancer,” said a paper published Monday in the journal Carcinogenesis.
Aside from the health concerns, you really don’t want to flush things down the toilet that aren’t intended to be flushed. Adult wipes, sometimes sold as “dude wipes,” for example, are marketed as flushable when they can cause havoc in city sewer systems. Better stick with toilet paper while leaving the dude wipes and vapes out of it.
Facts Only
* Bel Air High School in Harford County, Maryland
* Four toilets destroyed within a month due to students flushing vapes
* Metal detecting wands used to screen students for vaping devices
* 10.1% of high school students using any tobacco product
* 7.8% of high school students using e-cigarettes (CDC's 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey)
* E-cigarettes can cause cancer (study published in Carcinogenesis)
Executive Summary
Full Take
The article discusses the issue of students flushing vapes down toilets at a high school in Maryland, causing damage to the sewer system and resulting in expensive repairs. This behavior is more common among youths, with e-cigarettes being popular among them. The article mentions that a recent study found that e-cigarettes can cause cancer. It is important to note that while vaping was promoted as a healthier alternative to combustible tobacco products like cigarettes, it has its own problems and potential hazards.
Patterns detected: ARC-0043 Motte-and-Bailey (the article presents e-cigarettes as both a healthier alternative and a cause of cancer), ARC-0024 Ambiguity (the article does not clarify the extent to which vaping is causing the reported damages in the school)
This issue highlights the need for education about the potential risks associated with e-cigarettes, particularly among youths. It also brings attention to the importance of responsible disposal of items that are not meant to be flushed down toilets. The article could have explored the underlying motivations driving this behavior among students and potential interventions to address it.
Bridge questions: What are the long-term effects of e-cigarette use on health? Why are youths more likely to engage in risky behaviors like vaping? How can schools effectively educate students about the risks associated with vaping and other tobacco products? What policies or interventions could be implemented to reduce vaping among youths?
Sentinel — Human
This analysis suggests the article is likely human-written, with varied sentence lengths, a coherent narrative, no clear signs of argumentative skeleton matching or talking points appearing verbatim, and historically accurate references. The text also exhibits a personal voice and idiosyncratic emphasis not typically found in AI-generated content.