WATCH: New anti-vaping campaign puts chemical ingredients front and centre
As vaping slowly eclipses smoking among teens, the Canadian Lung Association has launched a new anti-vaping awareness campaign in Ontario, aimed at parents who may not know what their children are up to.
According to the association, vaping is almost four times more common than smoking among teens. However, unlike smoking, vaping can be done more discreetly, leading many students to vape on school grounds or in school bathrooms near unsuspecting teachers.
The association tackles that problem in its latest public service video campaign, Spell it Out, set in a school spelling bee.
The joke? In the clips, the teen participants are asked to spell the names of complex chemicals and substances commonly found in vape products, such as isovaleraldehyde and benzaldehyde.
“If they can’t spell it out, they shouldn’t breathe it in,” reads the campaign’s tagline. The videos will run on social media and streaming platforms throughout spring 2026.
Created to push back against the idea that vaping is harmless, especially among youth, the campaign is part of the Canadian Lung Association’s Lungs for Life program, launched in September 2024.
The program is offering evidence-based handouts, classroom activities, quizzes and presentation materials to help parents and teachers talk to teens about vaping and lung health, which can be accessed here.