EDINBURG – Local educators are taking note and adapting to the continued vape-related illnesses across the nation.

At the moment, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control don’t know what’s causing the lung injuries.

The only thing connecting the cases is the patients all used e-cigarettes. Many of them believed to contain THC oil from the black market.

Some school district police departments in the Rio Grande Valley have had to retain themselves and the K-9 officers on how to identify these vaping devices.

Just three years ago, the Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District police force had no idea what they were dealing with. Now, they’re confiscating vaping products from students at least two or three times a day.

Officers are tasked to use field kits to test for the presence of THC. If a test is positive, students could face legal ramifications; if they’re 17 years old or older, it could be a felony for having drugs in a school zone.

Edinburg CISD police went from seizing one vape pen in the 2016-2017 school year to 116 during the 2018-2019 session.

Black market oil products containing THC is the common factor in the majority of the 2,051 lung injury cases reported to the CDC. Investigators have also narrowed it down to cartridges containing vitamin E acetate.

Watch the video above for the full special report.