The British government will investigate the long-term effects of vaping on children’s health as part of a decadelong research project it announced Tuesday, POLITICO’s Mari Eccles reports. The U.K. government will also launch a public health marketing campaign to educate kids about vaping harms. The $78 million research project into adolescent health will track 100,000 people from ages 8 to 18 for 10 years, collecting behavior, biology and health record data to understand what affects young people’s health and well-being, including vaping. Why it matters: A quarter of 11- to 15-year-olds in the U.K. have tried vaping, the British government says. It’s also an issue in the U.S., where e-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product by youth, beating regular cigarettes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While many governments say vaping is a good alternative for people trying to quit smoking, public health officials are concerned that children and young people who don’t smoke are taking up vaping. And evidence on vaping’s long-term effects is lacking. “It is already known that vaping can cause inflammation in the airways, and people with asthma have told us that vapes can trigger their condition,” Sarah Sleet, CEO of Asthma + Lung UK, a charity focused on lung health, said in a statement. “Vaping could put developing lungs at risk, while exposure to nicotine — also contained in vapes — can damage developing brains,” she said. U.S. POV: The Supreme Court appears skeptical of arguments a flavored e-cigarette maker made in its challenge to the Food and Drug Administration’s decision denying authorization to bring the products to market. "Everybody basically knows that flavors are particularly dangerous in terms of kids starting the use of smoking products,” Justice Elena Kagan said during oral arguments in December. President Donald Trump, however, promised to "save vaping" in a post on his Truth Social site in September. A decision is expected by the end of the court’s term in June. What’s next: A bill making its way through Parliament in London would restrict flavors, packaging and display of vapes and other nicotine products. Starting in June, environmental legislation will ban single-use vapes. | 
