U.S. School Microscope Experiment Warns Students About Vaping Risks

The deaths and hospitalizations caused by e-cigarettes have raised concerns among parents and health experts, and the use of e-cigarettes is increasing 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 a seventh-grade science class at West Genesee Middle School taught by Maggie Barrett, students conducted an experiment using microscopes and single-celled organisms to understand the effects e-cigarettes may have on our bodies.

Paramecium 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 through the ASSET program to advance middle school science education.

“We sent them a reconstituted e-cigarette solution to add to the cells, knowing it would have an effect. Essentially, it’s equivalent to each cell group smoking two to four e-cigarettes,” she explained.

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

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

Barrett's students conducted the experiment themselves, observing whether the re-condensed vapor had an impact on the single-celled organisms after simulating smoking.

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 ideas involved. For example, e-cigarettes don’t have to tell you what all their ingredients are. They can label their liquids with the term 'flavoring,' which can be anything they want to add flavor to the product. 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 are unaware that many e-vapors contain nicotine.

As part of 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 made 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 research results showed a significant impact on single-celled organisms.

About eight student groups came out 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, they really separated and died.”

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

“This is great for middle school science; there are a lot of 'aha' moments. I think they were surprised. They also had some misconceptions. Some didn’t realize that vapor isn’t just water.”

“The idea of them organizing experiments and actually using these living cells for experimentation is something most kids really enjoy, simply because it’s different from the usual classwork. Then seeing a direct impact on the 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... won’t perfectly 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 it’s always more meaningful. They acted like real scientists. They used tools that scientists have never used before, microscopes, micropipettes. I think there’s a lot of takeaway here. They also collaborated and built 21st-century skills.”

The 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 will receive them based on their existing resources.

In 2019, nearly 28% of teenagers 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, which also reported 48 deaths and over 2,200 hospitalizations caused by e-cigarettes.