The dangers of vaping was the focus of an online community information session held as part of the recent YouthFest program.
"Clearing the Air" was hosted by holistic counsellor and social worker Azelene Williams, who regularly educates young people, schools, teachers, community members and parents about vaping.

Ms Williams highlighted the negative health impacts on young people during the session and provided suggestions on how adults can address the issue at home and in other settings like schools.
Statistics show vaping is a habit increasing in Australia, particularly among young people.
In March this year, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reported 21.7 per cent of people aged 18 to 24 years have used an e-cigarette or vaping device at least once, and just under one in 12, 7.6 per cent of people aged 15 to 17 years had used an e-cigarette or vaping device at least once.
However, the ABS notes 77.3 per cent of people aged 15 to 17 years were reported on by another person in the household and "under-reporting of smoking rates and e-cigarette or vaping use in young people may have occurred because responses were provided by an adult living in the same household."
In her presentation, Ms Williams related studies and reports on vaping to her own experience as an ex-smoker and ex-vape user, as well as her experiences talking to teachers, parents and young people.
"Vaping is a big business...by 2050 it's going to be a $182 billion business," she explained.
"It is extremely easy for young people to access these things."
Ms Williams said she often saw young people entering a cycle, as vaping "opens up doors" to other things like cigarettes and marijuana.
In "Clearing the Air" Ms Williams showed images of vapes disassembled and a graphic image of what damage can be caused to a person's face if a vape explodes.
She said young people should educate themselves on the health risks associated with vaping, and emphasised that not as much information was currently available about the long-term effects of vaping compared to smoking.
Short-term health impacts of vaping include nausea, vomiting, mouth and airway irritation, chest pain and heart palpitations.
Ms Williams also talked about "popcorn lung" as an emerging health issue caused by vaping. Popcorn lung is a build-up of scar tissues in the lungs. She said studies suggested there is a potential link between popcorn lung and the chemical diacetyl - a chemical found in some vape liquids.
"A lot of young people think they are inhaling water, it's not water," Ms Williams said.
Rather, they are inhaling various harmful compounds such as formaldehyde, acrolein, propylene glycol and nicotine, she explained.
Ms Williams suggested education about vapes and the effects on the body caused by inhaling the vapours, both first-hand and second-hand, should be provided to young people.
"I think it is really important to start that education very, very young because a lot of those primary school kids have got older siblings," she said.
"They don't realise how much nicotine they are actually taking in."
"It takes 10 seconds for nicotine to hit the brain, it's not going to take a child months and years to get addicted to nicotine, it's going to take weeks and days."
Ms Williams said schools needed to evaluate the punishments dolled out to students caught vaping or dealing vapes.
She suggested rather than an out-of-school suspension, schools could have students complete in-school suspensions with tasks that help them get educated about vaping. However, she admitted she does not have all the answers.
"If they are anything like me and they get suspended for three days they are definitely not going to sit and do homework...they are going to vape," she said.
"If they are addicted to nicotine, what's going to happen is - after the three days - they're going to go back to school with that same addiction and things are going to carry on."
She suggested students be instructed to do research or write an essay about vaping.
"The more information they've got to arm themselves, the better, I think."
Ms Williams said parents should look out for unusual or unfamiliar items in their children's rooms, sudden mood swings, declining academic and athletic performance, behavioural changes, shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, sneezing, and new smells in their room (especially sweet fragrances), stealing to keep up habits, or sudden increases in the amount of cash they have on hand. If a parent discovers their child is vaping, Ms Williams said they should initiate a calm conversation.
"Invite the young person to talk and be ready to listen," she said.
"Stay calm and non-judgemental. I know it's sometimes difficult, specifically as a parent - you want to fight it, you want to get angry and so forth - but it's not going to help."
"Be calm and listen to them... find out what the deeper problem is."