how healthy is vaping?

[albacore]

Hey I'm new to the forum. I have been thinking about investing in a vaporizer for awhile. I like to smoke weed but I really don't like "smoke" it. It just makes me feel really gross and unhealthy. One of the things I noticed when I always smoked weed is I began to look older. A lot of people can probably dismiss this but I'm in a line of work where my appearance is very important. Smoke has been shown to disrupt something or other with the collagen of the skin so I stopped smoking for awhile. Now I want a vaporizer so I can healthily consume marijuana.

Anyways, my question is how "healthy" is vaporizing? I don't know much about vaporizers but I'm under the impression that some of them can be made of parts that are actually harmful to the body.
I'm really interested in it a vaporizer because it's a healthy alternative that when used doesn't have any negative effects on my body or my health.

 

[lwien]

I'm really interested in it a vaporizer because it's a healthy alternative that when used doesn't have any negative effects on my body or my health.

This is not an accurate statement. While vaporizing is definitely healthier than smoking, anything inhaled into your lungs other than clean air and oxygen has a negative affect. The question is, like in most things, is, is the reward worth the risk. For just about all of us here, we think that it is.

 

[OO]

I'm really interested in it a vaporizer because it's a healthy alternative that when used doesn't have any negative effects on my body or my health.

This is not an accurate statement. While vaporizing is definitely healthier than smoking, anything inhaled into your lungs other than clean air and oxygen has a negative affect. The question is, like in most things, is, is the reward worth the risk. For just about all of us here, we think that it is.

this statement is false, and i don't think it requires any real evidence to prove what i'm saying.

at least if you go by the vast majority's definition of "negative effect (correct spelling btw)", at least when it comes to the topic of lungs.

 

[max]

I'm really interested in it a vaporizer because it's a healthy alternative that when used doesn't have any negative effects on my body or my health.

This is not an accurate statement. While vaporizing is definitely healthier than smoking, anything inhaled into your lungs other than clean air and oxygen has a negative affect. The question is, like in most things, is, is the reward worth the risk. For just about all of us here, we think that it is.

this statement is false, and i don't think it requires any real evidence to prove what i'm saying.

at least if you go by the vast majority's definition of "negative effect (correct spelling btw)", at least when it comes to the topic of lungs.

Which statement? You're quoting two. If you included something to back up your point it would be clear which side you're taking.

 

[pakalolo]

I'm really interested in it a vaporizer because it's a healthy alternative that when used doesn't have any negative effects on my body or my health.

This is not an accurate statement. While vaporizing is definitely healthier than smoking, anything inhaled into your lungs other than clean air and oxygen has a negative affect. The question is, like in most things, is, is the reward worth the risk. For just about all of us here, we think that it is.

this statement is false, and i don't think it requires any real evidence to prove what i'm saying.

at least if you go by the vast majority's definition of "negative effect (correct spelling btw)", at least when it comes to the topic of lungs.

I agree that most people would admit to the idea that we inhale things inhale that have no measurable effect, but this is a red herring. It does not negate lwien's general argument, which I understand to be that vaporizing can indeed have negative effects. I agree with him on that point. albacore is asking about the health aspects, not whether anything but clean air and oxygen has negative effects on the lungs.

The question is, like in most things, is, is the reward worth the risk.

This would be dead on if lwien had kept track of his "is" count.

ETA: Max: I understood that the point in question was the part that was bold in the quote.

 

[lwien]

This would be dead on if lwien had kept track of his "is" count.

Fuck !! I used to stutter when I was a kid, but I outgrew it. I hope it's not cuh, cuh, coming back.

 

[OO]

it is not the case that anything other than clean air and oxygen has a negative effect when inhaled.


even clean air and oxygen can be harmful if at the right temperature.

albie, if you could break down "healthiness" into some criteriums with which to evaluate it, it would help.

 

[AGBeer]

Okay, I think we are all missing the point here and turning this thread into a pissing contest.

To the OP - Simply put, I like to think of what im NOT taking in when I vape.
Of course I know that just about EVERYTHING that I do is 'bad for me' (hell, living life is going to eventually kill us all - guaranteed) its just about enjoying the ride and proper risk assessment while minimizing harm.

Is a vaporizer 'safe'?

I prefer the buzz phrase 'reduced harm' personally.

Not to mention, vaporization and/or combustion isnt the only way to enjoy this plant

 

[darkrom]

I'd like to hear some more info on this. What about vaping 2-6 times a day for example? We all know why vaping is better than smoking, but what dangers are there to vaping several times a day?

I am scared to find out

 

[OO]

I'd like to hear some more info on this. What about vaping 2-6 times a day for example? We all know why vaping is better than smoking, but what dangers are there to vaping several times a day?

I am scared to find out

if truly all you are doing is inhaling resin vapors, and you aren't combusting, or performing pyrolysis, the only danger i see is irritating the mouth, lungs, and throat with hot air.

the more saturated with heavy compounds the air you inhale is, the more heat will be released in your lung, throat and mouth tissue.

i'm not aware of the possible problems from inhaling this much heat.

 

[lwien]

OO, are you implying that THC is totally innocuous?

 

[finchrock24]

To the OP:

I won't de-rail you with some off topic banter...if you are going to ingest MJ and smoking and vaping are you're two options then vaping is the much more healthy choice. Lower temperatures help to reduce the harmful substances that are released from plant matter and also do not irritate your body as much as the higher temperatures and chemicals released when smoking.

Vaping and smoking will affect differently people different but the smart choice is to vape, obviously. No, vaping is not 100% safe but neither is walking down the street, riding a bike, etc.

 

[herbgirl]

I'm really interested in it a vaporizer because it's a healthy alternative that when used doesn't have any negative effects on my body or my health.

This is not an accurate statement. While vaporizing is definitely healthier than smoking, anything inhaled into your lungs other than clean air and oxygen has a negative affect. The question is, like in most things, is, is the reward worth the risk. For just about all of us here, we think that it is.

lwein, i too take issue with that statement. some inhaled essential oils have been shown to have positive effects on the whole body, not just the lungs. EO's are known to stimulate immune activity, kill germs and heal infections - all when inhaled. no danger that i've ever found except for a few like horesradish or capsicum for obvious reasons. sure, it could be negative to someone who is allergic or just the wrong oil for the wrong person/condition, but to make the blanket statement that anything inhaled but air will be negative is patently false. what about albuterol for that matter?

that being said, it is a reward vs risk thing for vaporizing specifically. most things we inhale indirectly or directly aren't good, but our bodies are built to handle a certain amount of junk. air pollutants and particulates, smoke, farts, whatever.

you should see what those heavily artificially scented petroleum based plug in scenter thingies (and candles and sprays too) can do to the cillia in your lungs and the lining of your nose and throat. sure it's just passive, but you are still inhaling small molecules that are having an effect. in a healthy lung, those cillia act like a conveyor belt, sweeping those particles up and out so they can leave the body. so a healthy lung would have an easier time dealing with the influx of particulates, but the scented thingies, just like the tar from smoke, can disable them.

IMO, the negative health effects on the body/mind from vaping can include chronic bronchitis, dry mouth and throat, sore throat, coughing, mental fog and the ever popular 'demotivational syndrome'.

not enough to deter me because it is such an effective treatment for my condition.

 

[aesthyrian]

I would think the vaporizer that is being used and what materials are used to make it would affect how healthy the vaping experience is more than anything else. That's the biggest variable I can think of, and without knowing which specific vape we are talking about I would think it's hard to answer this question.

 

[albacore]

albie, if you could break down "healthiness" into some criteriums with which to evaluate it, it would help.

well, let me elaborate on my profession. I'm a model and actor and my facial appearance is very important. I live a healthy life and wear sunscreen every day to avoid premature aging. I am against smoking because it leads to premature aging. Since there is no smoke involved in vaporizing, is it safe to say in regard to my concerns, vaporizing marijuana should have no averse effects?

 

[rtwoite]

I have to agree with AGBeer with regards to "harm reduction". The only route I feel is completely harmless is edibles(barring getting too high). A pure aerosol of cannabinoids would be the next best thing. With breathing issues myself I never underestimate my lung's ability to piss and moan when it comes to anything other than fresh air. Even then. Vapor still has a lot of waxes and for me that is the greatest caveat. If there were a way to filter them out, that would be very exciting.

I have inhaled essential oil vapors with no problems. I think different people define tars differently, but I have always understood it to be the total weight of vapor/smoke/soot that you don't breathe back out. Tar is what you keep, at least several smoking studies that I no longer remember have used that metric.

//edit But most people don't seem to be bothered as badly by vapor or smoking as me. I think the optimal way to go in terms of health is eating. Vapor has little in it that eating wouldn't also give, so if vaping did accelerate aging then it would have to be because of the negligible amount of combustion going on(medium to high temps) or because of infrequent mild lung irritation. Neither of these seem likely candidates for wrinkles. IMHO.

 

[luchiano]

albie, if you could break down "healthiness" into some criteriums with which to evaluate it, it would help.

well, let me elaborate on my profession. I'm a model and actor and my facial appearance is very important. I live a healthy life and wear sunscreen every day to avoid premature aging. I am against smoking because it leads to premature aging. Since there is no smoke involved in vaporizing, is it safe to say in regard to my concerns, vaporizing marijuana should have no averse effects?

If you want to vape and still not be worried just get a juicer(jack lalane juicer is good) and juice greens such as collard greens, kale and carrots. Put some orange juice and/or ginger to give it a better taste, as well as aid in the healthier looking skin, even though you will have to get used to it BUT it will give your skin a NICE look to it.

To make the juice be as efficient as it can be try to juice after a meal where you had some fat in it because a lot of the chemicals such as vitamin E and vitamin A and phytochemicals are fat soluble and help the skin absorb these chemicals much easier and hold onto them longer. Also, if you can, get an infrared sauna because that will send fresh blood to your skin and if you drink a lot of healthy juices that have color such as orange juice, carrot juice or grape juice they will go to the skin and really give it a nice glow and healthiness.

You can vape and have nice skin and not worry about your job. Even the cannabis has chemicals in it that keeps your skin healthy and looking good you just have to make sure that you get good blood flow to the skin and sweating with exercise or the infrared sauna are good ways to do this.

As far as vaporizing itself compared to smoking and which vape to buy, vaping and smoking don't even compare because even if you go to 445f(start at a low temperature then go up to keep the vapor as healthy and tasty as possible) it isn't like burning plant matter at a high temperature all at once, you are just heating or roasting your herbs but a lot of the plant matter is left behind and it isn't burned so the carcinogenic elements are way lower than smoking. If you don't know what to get on the high end there are german made vaporizers(high standards) one with a whip and water to filter out plant particulates(aromed 4.0) and one with a bag and automatic(the volcano). For cheaper version just look on this site but in your case your job is on the line so I think you should go for the Aromed or the Cloud when it comes out so you can filter the particualte plant matter with water and not worry about anything effecting your looks.

 

[OO]

OO, are you implying that THC is totally innocuous?

not conclusively, but i've never seen any evidence to disprove the notion, given that the OP is over pubescent age.

 

[Nycdeisel]

Hey I'm new to the forum. I have been thinking about investing in a vaporizer for awhile. I like to smoke weed but I really don't like "smoke" it. It just makes me feel really gross and unhealthy. One of the things I noticed when I always smoked weed is I began to look older. A lot of people can probably dismiss this but I'm in a line of work where my appearance is very important. Smoke has been shown to disrupt something or other with the collagen of the skin so I stopped smoking for awhile. Now I want a vaporizer so I can healthily consume marijuana.

Anyways, my question is how "healthy" is vaporizing? I don't know much about vaporizers but I'm under the impression that some of them can be made of parts that are actually harmful to the body.
I'm really interested in it a vaporizer because it's a healthy alternative that when used doesn't have any negative effects on my body or my health.

Good! smoke is smoke(for the most part- cannabis smoke has some exceptions but you get the gist), and its bad for your body, most people here dont smoke that often because since becoming so accustomed to vapor, smoke is even more harsh, at least thats partially how it is for me.

Moving on... There are many 'healthy' vaporizers, which are of high quality and therefore dont contain any dangerous materials like a lot of the cheaper, lower quality units do.

This is just why its SO important that one does their researching before investing in a vaporizer, since, yes, vaporizing is a ton healthier then smoking, some vaporizers may be counterproductive in the way you described.

Keep reading around here(particularly in the model specific discussion board) and you will learn which units are quality, which are not, a whole bunch of other information.

Vapor is a lot better for your body then smoke is, no doubt about it, but to say there is absolutely no risk associated with vaporizing is just ignorant.

Goodluck! I hope you find the vape you are looking for!

 

[djonkoman]

I have to agree with AGBeer with regards to "harm reduction". The only route I feel is completely harmless is edibles(barring getting too high). A pure aerosol of cannabinoids would be the next best thing. With breathing issues myself I never underestimate my lung's ability to piss and moan when it comes to anything other than fresh air. Even then. Vapor still has a lot of waxes and for me that is the greatest caveat. If there were a way to filter them out, that would be very exciting.

I have inhaled essential oil vapors with no problems. I think different people define tars differently, but I have always understood it to be the total weight of vapor/smoke/soot that you don't breathe back out. Tar is what you keep, at least several smoking studies that I no longer remember have used that metric.

//edit But most people don't seem to be bothered as badly by vapor or smoking as me. I think the optimal way to go in terms of health is eating. Vapor has little in it that eating wouldn't also give, so if vaping did accelerate aging then it would have to be because of the negligible amount of combustion going on(medium to high temps) or because of infrequent mild lung irritation. Neither of these seem likely candidates for wrinkles. IMHO.

it is possible to get at least part of the waxes out, I've seen a hashoilaxtraction where they, after extracting with butane, dissolved the oil again in alcohol and cooled down to -20 degrees(celsius), then some of the waxes can be filtered out(linger as a kind of mist in the solution)

 

[warren79]

I've read a study that showed that vaping contains a ratio of TAR:THC of 10:1, this probably depends on the actual unit that was used and temperature the unit was on (can't remember which vape was tested though).

I have no idea what that ratio is when smoking but its MOST probably much higher. The fact of the matter is that most people like myself (when starting research), think that vaping has no negitive effects on the lungs and body but the truth is that even Volcano, (rated the best vape-scientificly tested blah blah), bags gets sticky after a few weeks of use. This is the same sticky resin that sits on the inside walls of bongs and obviously this is inhaled into our lungs from our vapes......


How smoking affected my personally:

Im 31 yrs old and refuse to go to a boring gym so I skateboard for about an hour session every other day after work and I've noticed how bad smoking is in terms of how much times I need to rest and how much my lungs burn. Last year I went without smoking for about 3 months. After the 1st 2 weeks of no smoke I started feeling the differance. I could go for longer and the breaks I took were much quicker than when I smoked. At the time I also gave up meat(became vegetarian) so I thought that this easier breathing was due to not eating meat (cholestorol/fat/etc) but 3 months after, I started smoking again, still not eating meat, and found that it was the smoking. I stopped again and started BAKING A LOT and making all sorts of edibles with cannibus (mostly fire crackers - which I perfected over a few days or so with some modifications) I love getting high via cookies and edibles because the high could last me about 7 hours and be EXTREMLY INTENSE,if I wanted it to, but I missed the instant high of my bong. This is when I started researching vapes and once I get mine I probably will still smoke but very very little........

The moral of the story is that Smoking is realy realy realy bad, nevermind looking older, it realy fucks you up from the inside. Vaping isn't as bad but is still bad generally,especially those who vape continuosly throughout the day. Eating weed is probably THE ONLY safe way with respect to the lungs to ingest it.

 

[rtwoite]

it is possible to get at least part of the waxes out, I've seen a hashoilaxtraction where they, after extracting with butane, dissolved the oil again in alcohol and cooled down to -20 degrees(celsius), then some of the waxes can be filtered out(linger as a kind of mist in the solution)

Was this a video? If so I would love to see that. One night I was searching on google and I came across a patent in which it described the same scenario and it used charcoal as the filter for precipitated waxes in a cooled alcohol solution. I wouldn't want to used charcoal because I would be suspicious of it having a selective affinity for cannabinoids and might alter the ratio/profile. I would tolerate a drop in overall effiency though, for no waxes.

 

[hereatlast]

I've read a study that showed that vaping contains a ratio of TAR:THC of 10:1

Can you provide a link or reference to this study please?

 

[Pappy]

I've read a study that showed that vaping contains a ratio of TAR:THC of 10:1, this probably depends on the actual unit that was used and temperature the unit was on (can't remember which vape was tested though).
I have no idea what that ratio is when smoking but its MOST probably much higher. The fact of the matter is that most people like myself (when starting research), think that vaping has no negitive effects on the lungs and body but the truth is that even Volcano, (rated the best vape-scientificly tested blah blah), bags gets sticky after a few weeks of use. This is the same sticky resin that sits on the inside walls of bongs and obviously this is inhaled into our lungs from our vapes......

I think you're blowing smoke.

 

[luchiano]

I've read a study that showed that vaping contains a ratio of TAR:THC of 10:1, this probably depends on the actual unit that was used and temperature the unit was on (can't remember which vape was tested though).

I have no idea what that ratio is when smoking but its MOST probably much higher. The fact of the matter is that most people like myself (when starting research), think that vaping has no negitive effects on the lungs and body but the truth is that even Volcano, (rated the best vape-scientificly tested blah blah), bags gets sticky after a few weeks of use. This is the same sticky resin that sits on the inside walls of bongs and obviously this is inhaled into our lungs from our vapes......

That stickiness comes from the resin of the actual plant trichomes that gets us high not a byproduct of burning like smoking tar is. It's condensed on the bag from cooling and dryness. I have a theory that it may actually be a good thing because it will last longer in the longs and help prevent infection and ease inflammation. Remember the lungs are organs that need nutrients also it's not just a passive operator. It also has cannabinoid receptors so this stickiness may be a good thing and not something to look down on. It's the lack of moisture in the lungs and in the plant/hash that is the problem to me.

This is not the same sticky resin that sits on the inside walls of bongs, all you have to do is smell the two to see the difference. Smoking them will definitely tell you the difference. The only connection is the stickiness.