Smart Vape Detection in Schools for Mitigating Student E-Cigarette Use
Abstract
Adolescent vaping has become a persistent health and behavioural challenge in schools, yet many institutions lack reliable tools to detect and respond to concealed e-cigarette use. This study addresses this problem by evaluating the real-world performance of a low-cost "Internet of Things" (IoT) vape detection system deployed across 37 high-risk restroom and change-room locations at a large Australian Independent school. The aim was to determine whether an IoT-based environmental monitoring platform could accurately identify vaping events, support timely staff intervention, and provide actionable insights into student behaviour patterns. A longitudinal case study design was used, collecting continuous particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) data at one-minute intervals over an 18-month period, where PM2.5 and PM10 refer to particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters ≤ 2.5 µm and ≤10 µm, respectively, reported in micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3. Threshold-based alerting, cloud-based data processing, and school-led Closed-circuit television (CCTV) verification were combined to assess detection accuracy, temporal trends, and operational responses. The system recorded more than 300 vaping-related incidents, with clusters aligned to predictable times of day and higher prevalence among senior students. Operational detection performance was high, with alert events characterised by rapid, concurrent PM2.5 and PM10 excursions consistent with vaping-related aerosol profiles, although…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a cohort study, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Tobacco and COPD: presenting the World Health Organization (WHO) Tobacco Knowledge Summary
- Comparative effects of e-cigarette smoking on periodontal status, salivary pH, and cotinine levels
- Association between exposure to environmental pollutants and increased oral health risks, a comprehensive review
- Influence of gestational window on offspring vascular health in rodents with in utero exposure to electronic cigarettes
- Natural products as kinase inhibitors in lung cancer: molecular mechanisms, therapeutic potential, and clinical trials
- Nicotine in electronic cigarettes
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.