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One in four Florida high school students now vape and the number continues to rise.

It’s just one of many alarming statistic lawmakers heard from experts about the vaping crisis along with the illness and death related to their use Wednesday morning.

Of the nearly 1,500 cases of vaping related illness and 33 deaths across the country nearly one out of the five victims are children.

Florida’s Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees attributes part of the problem to easy access.

“Children can sit down at computers and order these products that can be delivered to your home,” said Rivkees.

Rivkees said the illness appears similar to a chemical burn in the lungs.

However, much is still unknown.

“No specific cause for this vaping related lung disease has been identified,” said Rivkees.

Hospitalizations from vaping have been steadily increasing since this spring with 70 illnesses and one death reported in Florida.

Lawmakers are hoping swift action can slow the epidemic.

One idea would be to tighten regulations on vape manufacturers and raise the age to purchase the products to 21.

Rivkees said the proposal is popular among researchers.

“The recommendation is that nicotine containing products not be used by youth and particularly that ages for sales of cigarette products and things like that, nicotine containing products, be raised to 21,” said Rivkees.

Committee Chair Rep. Colleen Burton said it’s too early to know exactly what they might do, but in the meantime she believes avoiding the products altogether is the safest option.

“When a physician warns me, you know gives a warning to folks not to vape because it’s a dangerous thing to do I think people should listen to that,” said Burton.

The CDC is currently working to identify what specific ingredients may be responsible for causing the illnesses.

As the search for an answer continues more Americans are turning to vaping products.

There are 10 million users in the US currently.

More than a third, about 3.5 million, are children.

One thing that is known about the crisis is that the majority of illnesses and deaths seem to be linked to use of THC vaporizers purchased on the black market.