Silicone Offgassing - Is it a Health Concern?

[Hippie Dickie]

I just wanna know if the silicone tubing i'm using is going to hurt me

i just bumped my 2010 silicone safety thread in the Vaporization Discussion section about spallation - not temperature driven.

 

[pakalolo]

like i always say: know your chemist (manufacturer) ... and as xxxx always says, it isn't binary, there will be outgassing at lower temps. *** (my bad, i think it is Max who makes this point)



you can't sue when you're injured doing an illegal activity like vaporizing cannabis.

No, that's me. Touché. What we don't know is the activation temperature, i.e. the point at which offgassing begins. I think it is quite likely that it's the temperature limit cited or higher. If not, there would be emissions into the tubing no matter what the use, and I find that improbable.

In the good old US of A, people can sue even if injury occurs during an illegal activity. For example,
http://blogs.findlaw.com/blotter/2015/06/can-a-burglar-sue-the-homeowner-for-injuries.html

Medical use is legal in many states. I don't see the federal prohibition being a barrier to lawsuits. We're talking about risk management here, anyway. A company with enough money to establish its own manufacturing facility won't want the risk.

 

[howie105]

The problem is that the jury is still out on some vapeing technologies including the devices and supplies that are involved. So people are left to make safety calls on their own which means endless debates that seldom get resolved. I suspect at some point we will get rules and regulations intended to keep us safe with corresponding price and availability adjustments. Way she goes boys....extra points where did I rip that from?

 

[1DMF]

here in USA we still have a federal war on drugs

It is very bizarre USA law federal vs state, a state cannot overrule federal as I understood it, so if federal law says it's illegal, how can a state make it legal?

If you stood with one foot in an illegal state boundary and one foot in a legal state, is half of you a criminal? - it's just mind boggling how any of this works, to a lowly English man anyway.

And what is this war the feds keep going on with? I don't recall seeing an armed cannabis army mass murdering people?

I thought we left that to our governments to go around killing innocent people, not dope heads?

And according to the latest BS from Trump, USA don't win anything anymore including wars, so I guess we all better watch out if he gets in, because it sounds like he wants to start a few more wars and win them?

I know, off topic...

I think from now on I might not be buying any vape that uses rubber or plastic in the device, that is considered near or a part of the air path or oven.

I didn't fuck combustion to be poisoned by toxic fumes from a vape!

 

[Hashtag46&2]

.....................................................................
Vapor cools down very quickly/ in a very short distance.

I'm a F guy in US so here's my best example in F degrees:

miniVAP at 440F with short stock mouthpiece which is only 1 or 1.5 inches long
Vapor is way cooler as 130 or 135 F will scald you.

Joint example as it gets to down to roach size-- the tip is about 1000 F but it's probably 135ish F smoke??

Herbie with whip example: 445 F and take several hits. Feel whip at exit and it's hot but probably still well below even 200 F.

Anyone have an IR instant thermometer to hit a whip hard and measure the temp? Some objects work better/worse with IR thermometer.

I will conduct this tonight during my "Extended FrHighday Night comedy sesh."

That is if I remember....

*getting out IR Temp gun now*
One hit, and I forget.

 

[MinnBobber]

I will conduct this tonight during my "Extended FrHighday Night comedy sesh."

That is if I remember....

*getting out IR Temp gun now*
One hit, and I forget.

..........................................................................
Yes,
I am really curious what the max whip temp will be

Contest??
I'm guessing the whip hit hard will be 155 F at the hot end.....
What vaporizer will be volunteering to help science today??

 

[Hashtag46&2]

..........................................................................
Yes,
I am really curious what the max whip temp will be

Contest??
I'm guessing the whip hit hard will be 155 F at the hot end.....
What vaporizer will be volunteering to help science today??

You win!

The DBV was used in the testing

And the whip itself was room temp at the hot end ..even most of the wand was room temp.

Near the bowl it was about 150f (wand)

So, the DBV obviously isn't the best unit to conduct a conclusion IMO.

 

[PhreedomPhries]

Silicone is only generally safe to 260c (500f). Remember that whilst your vapes may tell you that they are getting 210c (in the Mighty for example), this is not necessarily the case for the whole airpath (especially near the heater, obviously the Mighty only uses silicone towards the end of the airpath so this is not such a concern). A lot of vapes could get to 260 or hotter at certain points in the airpath (again near the heater is more likely), especially with heavy use.

Silicone could absolutely be put in the wrong part of the airpath in a poorly designed vape get too hot and release fumes. I have accidentally overheated silicone (not in a vape and didn't inhale it directly though!) and even that smells like nothing I want going into my body!

I am seriously not big on silicone anywhere near the load in an airpath (especially where concentrates are involved), but it can be used judiciously in vapes to great effect!

https://imageserv5.team-logic.com/mediaLibrary/99/Formaldehyde_Generation_from_Silicone_Rubber.pdf

Check that paper out for a variety of nasty stuff that you don't want to breathe in that gets released from oxidative thermal degradation of silicone rubbers.

I recommend immediate cessation of use of ANY device with silicone which is offgassing. Food grade is still not safe if it offgases, this rating does not relate to the inhalation of offgassed substances!

"Formaldehyde is thermally generated from many materials -- including high consistency silicone rubber. However, the rate at which silicone rubber generates formaldehyde is substantially lower than many common materials. Silicone rubber begins to generate formaldehyde at temperatures as low as 149o C, but does not appreciably generate formaldehyde until ~200 C and above."

That's the skinny from that article. Basically, Silicone rubber may not generate formaldehyde as readily as a lot of other similar materials, but it sure can at vaping temps...

Uhhhh....BUMP!

This whole conversation is HELLA relevant to the PUFFCO PEAk and that damn silicone cap at the top of the atomizer. It gets hella hot because it is directly exposed to the metal chamber of the atomizer, and it is giving me a headache. When I remove it from the air path, headaches go away!! Silicone in the airpath of particularly concentrate vapes is a bad idea. Just like you say in your comment above! I hope Puffco will redesign the top piece and offer a replacement optional piece that is either glass or fully ceramic instead of this damn silicone.