Caribbean Examinations

2023
School Based Assessment

Candidate’s Name: Omari Bailey

Freeburg Secondary
Candidate Name: Freeburg Secondary
Candidate Number: 0903200058
Center Number: 090320
Territory: Guyana
Subject: English
Teacher: Miss Rogers
Project: The effects of the modern drug E-cigarettes on young people Topic:
Drug Abuse
Date of submission: 31, October 2022

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Content Page
Title..........................................................................................................................1
Acknowledgement...................................................................................................3
Introduction.............................................................................................................4

Plan of Investigation................................................................................................5

Reflection 1.............................................................................................................13
Reflection 2.............................................................................................................14
Reflection 3.............................................................................................................15
Plan of oral presentation.........................................................................................16
Written Report—---------------------------------------------------------------------------17
Bibliography...........................................................................................................18

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Acknowledgement
I am thankful for the assistance I got on this school-based assessment. Firstly, I am grateful to
my parents for the equipment and necessary resources they have given me in order to complete
this work attachment. Secondly, I must also thank my teacher for the guidance and patience that
was a great help to me and the members of the group for which I appreciate. I thank everyone
who believes in me.
Thank you.

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Introduction
The sun-topic chosen under this topic is “the effects of modern E-cigarettes on young people”.
The researcher hopes to educate on the dangers and awareness of this drug on young
individuals. 3 materials for this topic were selected related to the modern drug.

Plan of Investigation
The issue selected by the researcher is drug abuse. The researcher will be exploring “the effects
of modern E-cigarettes on young people”. In this school-based assessment, the researcher hopes
to raise the awareness of drug abuse among young people. As a student of English, the
researcher can improve their writing and comprehension skills by arranging this school-based
assessment.
The information will be collected from videos and an article using the internet. The user will use
2 YouTube videos and 1 article to get the required information for this attachment.

Artifact: 1
“When Vaping Goes Wrong” a YouTube video voiced over by “Carl Mason”.
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Artifact: 2
An online article forms medical news today with the heading “if E Cigarettes is an
alternative to traditional smoking”.
 Are E-Cigarettes a safe alternative to smoking?
An electronic cigarette is a battery-operated device that emits a vaporized solution to inhale.
Usually, the solution contains nicotine. The aim is to provide the sensation of inhaling tobacco
smoke, without the smoke.
These devices have various names, including e-cigarettes, e-hookahs, vaporizer cigarettes,
vapes, and vape pens.

They come in a range of shapes. Some look like USB drives and others look like pens, for
example.
Manufacturers market e-cigarettes as tools for quitting or cutting down on smoking, but
the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) class them as tobacco products.
United States federal law does not allow the sale of tobacco products to people under the age
of 21 Trusted Source. However, a major concern about vaping is its attraction for young
people.
Vaping is popular among teens. In fact, it is now the most popularTrusted Source form of
tobacco use among young people in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC).

Below, learn what e-cigarettes contain, how they work, and what research indicates about their
risks to health.
In 2019, experts linked vaping with the appearance of a severe lung disease now known as e-
cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury, or EVALI. By February 2020, doctors
had confirmed 2,807Trusted Source cases and 68 deaths from this disease, according to the
CDC. Investigations are ongoing.

What are e-cigarettes?

An e-cigarette is a device that may look like a cigarette, a cigar, a pipe, a pen, or a USB drive.
The liquid inside may smell fruity, but it can have a high nicotine content.
JUUL devices, for example, look like USB drives. They appeared on the U.S. market in 2015
Trusted Source and are now the top-selling brand of e-cigarette in the country.
There is concern about young people using JUUL. Refills come in flavors such as cool
cucumber, mango, and mint, which may seem natural and harmless, but a single JUUL refill
contains as much nicotine as a pack of 20 cigarettesTrusted Source.
Risks
Manufacturers claim that e-cigarettes bypass many of the health risks of tobacco smoking,
providing a healthful alternative.
While these devices may helpTrusted Source some people quit smoking, there is growing
evidence that e-cigarettes can pose serious health risks, especially to people who do not
smoke traditional cigarettes.

The CDCTrusted Source advice against vaping if people:

• are children or young adults

• are pregnant
• have never smoked and are not trying to quit

7 reasons to avoid e-cigarettes

Below are seven reasons why e-cigarettes can be harmful:
1. They usually contain nicotine
Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is dangerous because it:

• is habit-forming
• affects brain development, which continues up to the age of about 25 years • can harm
a fetus during pregnancy
2. They contain other toxins
The American Lung Association lists a number of toxins, beyond nicotine, that appear in e-
cigarettes. Among them are:

• carcinogens, such as acetaldehyde and formaldehyde

• acrolein, a weed killer that can lead to irreversible lung damage •
benzene, a compound in car exhaust
• diacetyl, a chemical linked to bronchiolitis, which is a health condition
sometimes called “popcorn lung”
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• propylene glycol, used in antifreeze

• hazardous metals, such as lead and cadmium

• other minute particles that can enter the lungs
Many of these are also in traditional cigarettes.
3. Quitting smoking may be harder
People who switch from traditional cigarettes to e-products may put off getting medical help or
trying proven tools that can help with quitting. This can delay or even prevent a person from
quitting smoking.
A 2016 studyTrusted Source found that people who use or have used e-cigarettes are less likely
to stop smoking altogether.
4. They cause secondhand smoke
Vaping produces secondhand smoke. Since e-cigarettes often contain the same chemicals as
traditional cigarettes, smoke produced by vaping may be toxic to people nearby.

5. They may not deter teen smoking

The marketing of e-cigarettes and their range of flavors can give the impression that vaping is
not harmful.
This message can tempt people, including teens, to start vaping. However, vaping early on
may increase the chances of smoking ordinary cigarettes later in life.
According to a 2017 study, teens who use e-cigarettes are more likely to smoke regular
tobacco products later on, compared with their peers.
6. They can harm the brain
In young people, the use of nicotine can impact the reward system in the brain. In time, this
can make the use of other drugs, such as cocaine, more pleasurable, according to the
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)Trusted Source.
In addition, nicotine use can affect areas of a young person’s brain that are responsible for
attention and learning.
It may also increase the risk of developing mood disorders and problems with impulse control.
7. Experimental use may be more dangerous
Experimenting with different ways of using vaping materials may be additionally risky.
As an example, NIDATrusted Source points to the practice of “dripping.” This involves inhaling
solutions dripped directly onto the heater coil “to produce a stronger throat hit.” The specific
risks of these practices are still unclear.

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Research
Scientists are still determining how harmful e-cigarettes can be. So far, it seems that the
effects may range widely.

Results of lab-based studies, including some in animals, suggest that compounds called
nitrosamines in e-cigarettes can damage DNA, according to 2018 researchTrusted Source.

The team reported that lung cells were less able to repair themselves after exposure to e-
cigarette smoke. The smoke also caused damage to the lungs and bladders of mice, indicating
that it may increase the risks of developing lung and bladder cancer.
A 2019 study in miceTrusted Source found that vaping could increase the risk of heart disease.
Meanwhile, a studyTrusted Source in 90 smokers, also published in 2019, found that vaping
may be more addictive than smoking conventional cigarettes.
Moreover, a 2019 reviewTrusted Source of studies concluded that vaping is highly likely to:
• expose users to toxic chemicals
• increase the risk of nicotine addiction among young people
• possibly increase the chances of people switching to traditional tobacco products
The researchers also noted a lack of evidence that vaping is an effective means of quitting
smoking.
Takeaway
Current evidence indicates that using e-cigarettes is dangerous, especially for young people
and people who have never smoked.
While they may help some people stop smoking, vaping products do not haveTrusted Source
FDA approval as a tool for quitting. E-cigarettes may even keep people from trying proven
methods of quitting smoking.
Several states have imposed restrictions on the sale of e-cigarettes. There are also
restrictions on liquids with flavors that may be more attractive to younger people.
Since the end of 2019 Trusted Source, it has been illegal to sell vaping products to people
younger than 21 years.
E-cigarettes are nicotine-based products, and no nicotine use is safe. Until we know more, it
is probably best to avoid these products whenever possible, including secondhand smoke.

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Artifact: 3
Electronic Cigarettes and Vaping
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Reflection 1
In the YouTube video ‘When vaping goes wrong’ by ‘Carl Mason’ the researcher learnt that the
modern device often explodes unexpectedly causing serious injuries or even death. These devices
often explode because people are overcharging it, using it while charging, leaving it charging
overnight or it has a damaged battery or is leaking. The researcher also came across the term
Evali which is vaping associated pulmonary injury (VAPI) mainly caused by vitamin E acetate in
which e cigarettes or vaping products contain. Symptoms of this lung injury include shortness of
breath, coughs, chest pain, gastrointestinal (nausea, vomiting or diarrhea) non-specific fatigue,
fever and weight-loss.
In the online article from ‘Medical News Today’ stated, “If e-cigarettes are a safe alternative to
smoking”, the researcher found that e-cigarettes are a safer method of smoking for people who
are already using traditional smoking methods to quit. The article also mentions that e-cigarettes
have more toxins and traditional smoking can make quitting smoking much harder. Many use
this drug experimentally, changing components and chemicals and buying it from ominous
manufacturers that make it unknown if it is safe. E-cigarettes are difficult to regulate because of
the variety of flavors and chemicals used and are still under investigation. The article also stated
that people that do not smoke or use drugs like young people who engage with the use of e-
cigarettes can pose a danger to the development of the mind of that individual. E-cigarettes can
also introduce new individuals into new drugs or traditional smoking. It is advised that people
who do not smoke like young people, kids and individuals who are pregnant should not use e-
cigarettes.
In the video ‘electronic cigarettes and vaping’ the researcher got more information on the
electronic device. The electronic cigarette was invented in China in 2003 and since then the use
of the product has spread all over the world. Although e cigarettes are safer than traditional
smoking, it is advised you should not be involved with this product. The electronic device is a
relatively new product so not much research is done on the effects of e-cigarettes on the body.
Companies now are still targeting young people using funny or colorful advertisements and the
different flavors of e-cigarettes to draw them in. The developing minds of young people are
susceptible to the addictiveness of this product. It is said the addictive nature of nicotine found
in e-cigarettes is compared to cocaine and heroin in which this shocked the researcher.

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Reflection: 2
In the first material the language was formal and straightforward, giving detailed explanation
and information on the subject while also giving substantial evidence on electronic devices. The
material gives you a lot of information such as the definition, symptoms, causes and subtopics
related, or which requires you to understand given terms and situations. The individual reads at
a steady pace when relating the information to the viewer to understand.
The second material was formal and reader friendly, giving facts about the topic and
suggestions on how to prevent any harm to an individual which lets the reader have a choice or
an opinion which confronts the issue which is given. Abbreviations, terms and statistics were
what made the researcher do more research on the unknown terms which expanded my
vocabulary.
The third material is informal but is a straightforward video which is easy for the viewer to
understand using imagery to convey their idea. The video is simple and compact and gives
substantial evidence in a short amount of time to teens and adults to easily understand.

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Reflection: 3
In the researcher's research he realized he was criticizing young people for using e cigarettes too
harshly by ignoring or avoiding the individual all together. The researcher now realized that
nothing has changed in drug promotion to young people. The same way traditional smoking is
promoted is the same way these electronic devices are promoted but with a modern still to let
individuals without knowledge of or do not know better to indulge in such activities. The
researcher has now learnt to change his mentality and accepted that this is something that
happens so the researcher is now trying to raise awareness among his peers and young children.

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Plan of oral presentation

E-cigarettes, e-cigarettes entice the young,
Unknowing eyes stare down path that is too foggy to some, Maybe
they were curious, so they decided to come, The fog of different
colors dances in the air,
While their creators watch and stare.
E-cigarettes, e-cigarettes entice the young,
They even burst into phoenixes unknowingly, The
fragments fly swiftly and sharply,
They attack growing minds like me and you, Because e-
cigarettes, e-cigarettes entice the young.

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Written Report
In this school-based assessment, the researchers were informed and explained thoroughly
about the various sections of the English SBA by their teacher. The teacher mentioned how
the researchers should approach the SBA when gathering the data. The researchers believe
that their teacher was the reason why the assessment was done efficiently as instructions
were very clear. The theme and subtopics that were selected by the researchers helped us
to understand how illegal drugs can easily sneak into an individual’s life if they are not
aware of the consequences or uneducated. The research improved our comprehension of
grammar, reasoning and vocabulary skills as terms that were not au fait or new to the
researcher appeared. The researchers meet on a regular basis to discuss the assessment
and have a greater understanding of the topic. Meeting regularly with different ideas,
suggestions and information also made the researchers more expressive and sociable. The
objectives of the researcher were completed and made the SBA easy to complete within the
time given.

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Bibliography
(1) When Vaping Goes Wrong - YouTube
Smoking cessation aids: Types, side effects, and more (medicalnewstoday.com) (1)
Electronic Cigarettes and Vaping - YouTube
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