US School Microscope Lab Warns Students About the Dangers of Vaping

The deaths and hospitalizations caused by e-cigarettes have raised concerns among parents and health experts, especially as usage increases among younger children. Now, a health program at Cornell University has a new approach to help young people see the potential dangers.

Last month, in Maggie Barrett's seventh-grade science class at West Genesee Middle School, students conducted an experiment using microscopes and single-celled organisms to understand the effects e-cigarettes may have on our bodies.

Tetrahymena are single-celled organisms commonly used to test the effects of substances on human cells. Dr. Donna Cassidy Hanley, a senior research associate at Cornell University, developed the experiment as part of the ASSET program to advance middle school science education.

"We sent them a concentrated e-cigarette solution to add to the cells, knowing it would have an effect. Essentially, it’s like having each cell group smoke two to four e-cigarettes," she explained.

Science teacher Barrett explained how the students utilized the materials provided by Cornell University.

"We looked at the Tetrahymena without adding anything. Then we examined the Tetrahymena after adding a small amount of e-vapor condensate."

Barrett's students conducted the experiment themselves, observing whether the re-condensed vapor simulated smoking had an impact on the single-celled organisms.
 
Students witnessed firsthand how the vapor solution affected and killed some of the cells they observed.

Cornell's Cassidy-Hanley initially designed the experiment to observe the effects of smoking and drinking on cells. Now, with the rise of e-cigarettes, concerns about health impacts are increasing.

"And most of them don’t even consider that there might be other harmful substances involved. For example, e-cigarettes don’t have to disclose all their ingredients. They can label their liquids with 'flavors,' which can be anything they want to add to enhance the product's taste. So kids see flavors and think, 'Oh, that’s something you put in food; it must be safe.'"

Moreover, students are unaware of what they are getting into. For instance, a survey by the National Institutes of Health found that three-quarters of high school sophomores were unaware that many e-vapors contain nicotine.

In preparation for the experiment, students Devin Dantuono and Lorelei Leskoske learned about some potential dangers.

"So first, in e-vapor, you don’t know where these substances come from. Vapor can be produced in any country without health regulations. There are trace amounts of chemicals like formaldehyde in e-liquid, and sometimes even small amounts of metals, which can definitely cause problems. It can lead to headaches, lung diseases, and many issues," Dantuono said.

"There’s something called tar that can get stuck in your chest," Leskoske added. "The nicotine in it can affect how fast you start breathing and change your heart rate."

The findings showed a significant impact on single-celled organisms.

About eight student groups emerged from the microscopes to share their findings.

"Once we added the vapor, the cells started moving slowly, and they began to twitch. They started changing shape," one student experimenter said.

Another student added, "When we put the vapor in, they were still moving. But after five minutes, some really stopped moving. Some of them really separated and died."

Science teacher Maggie Barrett believes that this hands-on learning experience has a greater impact than anything in books or lectures.

"This is great for middle school science; there are many 'aha' moments. I think they were surprised. They also had some misconceptions. Some didn’t realize that vapor isn’t just water."
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"The idea of organizing experiments and actually using these living cells for experimentation is something most kids really enjoy, simply because it’s different from the usual daily work in most classes. Then seeing a direct impact on cells is impactful," Cassidy-Hanley said.

"Kids saw these cells swimming around, and then suddenly sinking to the bottom of the droplet, no longer moving. Adding a drop of liquid to some living organisms is a very impressive reaction."

She knows that a one-time lesson can only have so much impact... but believes that the unique approach is worthwhile.

"The hope is that we can at least reach some kids who have heard from their teachers and parents that smoking is bad, but they say, 'Yeah, but my peers are doing it.'... Even though they can do something hands-on and actually see the effects, we hope to reach a few more. I mean, this won’t change every kid’s mind. If we can reach a few, that would be great."

Science teacher Maggie Barrett says her students acted like scientists, learning through experimentation and collaboration.

Barrett believes that her students learned far more than just the experimental results; they learned about the negative impacts of vapor on cells and how it could harm the body.

"Hands-on learning is great and always more meaningful. They acted like real scientists. They used tools that scientists have never used, like microscopes and micropipettes. I think there’s a lot to take away from this. They also collaborated and built 21st-century skills."

This experiment can be used in other schools. Cassidy-Hanley and Cornell's ASSET program will send single-celled organisms and e-cig vapor for experiments, along with test tubes, microscopes, and slides—schools can adapt based on their existing resources.

In 2019, nearly 28% of teens and 11% of middle school students reported using e-cigarettes in the past 30 days. This unique learning opportunity is a response to CDC information... last year, this information also revealed 48 deaths and over 2,200 hospitalizations caused by e-cigarettes.