[ti:Big Drop in Vaping Among American Students] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]A U.S. government study has found [00:03.04]that vaping rates among young students fell sharply this year. [00:09.12]The drop comes after last year's sudden increase [00:14.16]in vaping-related illnesses and deaths. [00:19.48]The national survey, released this week, [00:23.00]showed that just under 20 percent of high school students [00:27.80]said they were recent users of e-cigarettes and other vaping products. [00:34.84]Just 5 percent of middle school students said they had recently used them. [00:42.76]That marks a big decrease from a similar survey in 2019. [00:49.68]The earlier survey found nearly 28 percent of high school students [00:55.60]and 11 percent of middle school students had recently vaped. [01:02.40]The 2020 survey was carried out [01:05.16]by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) [01:09.24]in partnership with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). [01:14.88]About 20,000 American students took part in the survey [01:20.44]from mid-January to mid-March. [01:24.64]They were asked about the use of any vaping [01:28.12]or tobacco products during the past month. [01:33.28]While the number of students smoking cigarettes [01:36.32]has reached all-time lows in recent years, [01:40.16]the use of vaping products has exploded. [01:44.92]Officials say the vaping increase was linked to popular e-cigarettes, [01:51.04]like those made by Juul Labs of San Francisco. [01:57.00]Earlier this year, the FDA barred some flavors [02:01.76]from vaping devices mainly used by minors. [02:06.40]And federal law now bans sales of all tobacco products [02:12.88]and e-cigarettes to anyone under age 21. [02:18.88]Public health experts have wondered if last year's sudden increase [02:24.32]in vaping related illnesses may have caused some students to give up vaping. [02:31.68]Most of the cases happened in August and September. [02:37.64]By year's end, more than 2,600 illnesses [02:42.76]and close to 60 deaths had been reported. [02:48.08]Most of those who got sick said they had vaped mixtures containing THC. [02:54.96]That is the substance in marijuana that produces a high. [03:02.16]Health officials eventually centered their investigation on these THC products [03:09.60]and on a chemical compound called vitamin E acetate, [03:15.20]which had been added to some THC vaping liquids. [03:21.12]Matt Myers of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids said in a statement [03:27.24]the survey showed a "meaningful drop" in teen vaping. [03:33.32]But he criticized the Trump administration for not following through [03:38.76]on a promise to ban all flavored e-cigarettes. [03:44.48]The policy did not cover disposable e-cigarettes, [03:49.28]which saw a big increase in this year's survey. [03:54.68]"As long as any flavored e-cigarettes are left on the market, [03:59.84]kids will get their hands on them and we will not solve this crisis," Myers said. [04:08.56]I'm Bryan Lynn. [04:10.84]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM