Bid to discover if e-cigarettes cause long-term harms to lúngs & airways

THE first trial into the potential long-term harms of vaping on the respiratory system has been announced by British scientists.

- BY MARTIN BAGOT Health Editor

It will look at the effects e-cigarettes have on lung cells, immune cells, inflammatory markers and airway microbiome – organisms such as bacteria – in a one-year trial.

The NHS promotes vaping as a quitting tool but there are growing concerns about youngsters who have never smoked taking it up.

And while research on tobacco harms over decades suggests smoking is much more harmful, there is little evidence on the long-term effects of vaping.

Now the Medical Research Council is funding the £1.5million EVALUATE trial at Birmingham University.