SCHOOLS struggling to enforce bans on vaping are now using a specialist device to crackdown on teens sneaking puffs.
The new machine can discern the slightest hint of vapour released from an e-cigarette and send an alert to a designated teacher to help combat the accelerating problem.
The specialist vape detector device was designed by software engineer, Simon Hasset, 36, in his home in Southampton.
“This had been a problem for a while for teachers, and no one could find a solution,” he told The Sunday Times.
“There’s a feeling of desperation," Hasset said.
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Although similar devices are widely used in America and Australia, Hasset's company - SMF Systems - is the first in the UK to manufacture such devices.
The fumes released from vapes are not thick enough to be detected by normal smoke sensors that use light to detect if smoke is in the air.
"Vaping is developing at an incredible rate, so it was difficult to find out what exactly [the makers] are doing,” Hasset explained.
After employing a team of PHD students to find out the specific ingredients used within vapes, he was then able to programme his device to detect these ingredients in the vapour they release.
Hasset sent off his homemade prototype to China and shipped his first order of the product in October. He now sells to over 87 schools across the UK.
Although schools were his target, the company are getting requests from airlines and airports too.
They cost £219 plus VAT and can cover a 12ft-by-12ft space with a 9ft ceiling.
Elfbars, first released in 2018 have stormed their way onto shelves and become the best-selling vape among Gen-Z.
Over 25 per cent of university students said they were addicted to Elfbars, according to a survey last year.
The colourful, cheap, disposable vapes were found to contain 50 per cent above the legal nicotine limit for e-liquid products, a Daily Mail investigation found.
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The products were quickly shunted off shelves across Tesco, Sainsbury's and WH Smith this month.
An Elfbar spokesperson told the Daily Mail: "We found out that some batches of the Elfbar product have been overfilled in the UK.
"It appears that e-liquid tank sizes, which are standard in other markets, have been inadvertently fitted to some of our UK products."
Other fears other then dizzying-quantities of nicotine surround the e-cigarette faze, including concerns that little is known about the long-term consequences of their use.
Dentists are fearing the impact the fumes have on teeth, while medical experts worry about chronic lung problems.
Hasset and his team have also claimed to have detected a shocking number of microplastics in every puff.
There are currently no legal restrictions on vaping in public areas, but the UK government has been busy trying to enforce tighter restrictions on e-cigarettes.
These include limiting nicotine quantities, new labelling requirements and warnings plus banning certain colourings and flavourings.
