Is Vaping Safe?

Vaping comes with its share of health benefits as well as safety risks. One element that makes vaping a safer form of cannabis use is the inhalation of vapor, or aerosol, rather than actual smoke.

Dr. Mitch Earleywine, professor and researcher at the State University of New York says “Anything that lights the plant on fire creates respiratory irritants.” With vaporizers, consumers are getting a safer experience by avoiding inhalation of harmful by-products that are released when cannabis is combusted and turned into smoke.

Oppositely, Dr. Adam Winstock of the Global Drug Survey is quick to point out that vaporizing is still unsafe as it does nothing to address the dependency or psychological side effects of regular cannabis use. Other safety concerns surrounding vaping include additives that have been found in vape pens and the toxic chemicals released by cheap plastic parts when vaporizers are heated to high temperatures.

Most vaporizers are manufactured in China, where regulatory safety controls are less stringent than in North America. The battery-operated heating mechanism that is found in most vape pens transforms solvents, additives and flavoring agents into carcinogens and other dangerous toxins when heated at high temperatures. The main chemical culprit in this equation is Propylene glycol, that is widely mixed with hemp oil and put into many vape pen cartridges. At high temperatures, propylene glycol is chemically converted into tiny polymers that can be very destructive to lung tissue.

Found in a wide variety of household items like baby wipes, pet food and anti-freeze, the US food and drug administration has declared propylene glycol safe for human ingestion, but breathing it is a different and far more dangerous matter. According to a 2010 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, airborne propylene glycol can cause asthma, eczema and other allergy symptoms. What’s worse, when heated to the highest temperatures, propylene glycol can be transformed into carbonyls (a group of cancer-causing chemicals that can be found in formaldehyde).

While manufacturers are reticent to admit it, when the heating element of a vape pen gets smoldering hot, the solution inside does actually get combusted meaning an element of smoke actually can be released. Even still, it must be recognized that vaping is a safer method of ingestion than most other forms of cannabis. Who hasn’t heard the story of the stoner falling asleep on his mother’s futon with a lit joint in hand and burning the entire bungalow down? This would never happen with a vaporizer. Arguably, the only cannabis ingestion method safer than vaping is the consumption of edibles, where there is no heating of potentially toxic substances. Edibles, however, also tend to be much more difficult to administer a regulated dosage, often leaving users utterly couch locked.