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New Study Says More North Carolina Teens Are Using E-Cigarettes

A new study says the number of North Carolina youth using e-cigarettes is rising.

Although adolescent cigarette use is declining in the United States, researchers at UNC Chapel Hill say more North Carolina teens are using e-cigarettes. A recent study from the university's Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center looked at the state's youth tobacco surveys in 2011 and 2013.  

During that time, it found that the rate of e-cigarette usage among minors had quadrupled. It also says dual users of traditional cigarettes and e-cigs increased.

Researchers said curiosity, appealing flavors and peer pressure are all factors that can push adolescents toward e-cigarettes.

Health experts have raised concerns that e-cigarettes could be harmful and say more studies are needed to understand the long-term impacts of vaping-- inhaling and exhaling the vapor that is generated by electronic cigarettes.

Although the General Assembly passed legislation in 2013 prohibiting retail stores from selling e-cigs to minors, UNC researchers say more teens are now finding easier ways to buy them online.

New federal regulations will make it more difficult for minors to vape. The Food and Drug Administration's new rules officially went into effect on Monday. Those include banning merchants from selling e-cigs to anyone under 18 and greater scrutiny of the products.

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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