Schools are facing 'a new epidemic' of students vaping, one former secondary school principal has said.
It comes as a new survey found disposable vapes are increasingly ending up as litter on Irish beaches.
IBAL found most of the 33 beaches visited as part of its survey were still not ‘clean’ - even though the wet weather has meant lower visitors numbers than usual.
Pat McKenna, former principal of Pobalscoil Neasáin in north Dublin, told Lunchtime Live vaping has replaced smoking as the challenge for schools.
"Vaping has replaced cigarettes - going back 15, 20 years ago schools had huge problems with kids smoking in toilets and behind the school," he said.
"That disappeared - we kind of won that through education coupled with legislation.
"Now we are faced with a new epidemic of vaping - it's designed to draw in those kids.
"The colour of it, the flavour, the whole marketing ploy is designed, I believe, to bring in that younger grouping.
"We're seeing it more and more within our student populations in schools, particularly of girls in fact.
"It has become a big problem."
'Kids can get them so easily'
Mr McKenna said schools are trying to deal with the issue by educating the students about what the vapes are and what's in them.
"We would work with students on explaining the risks behind it, the unknown factors that are there, the highly addictive nature of the higher nicotine content that is often in the vapes," he said.
"Obviously in the same way that schools control any activity you’re monitoring it, you're discouraging it, you're sanctioning people caught with vapes or using vapes within the school.
"But unfortunately, we're facing [the fact] that the kids can get them so easily."
Mr McKenna said he tried to buy a vape online, with the only safety control a message asking if he was over 18.
"If you click 'Yes I am', you can order online and it will be next day delivery: high strength, high flavour and it comes right to your door.
"It's very, very challenging for schools to deal with this on their own," he added.
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