7 ms·

I find it interesting that the article is targeting vaping in general rather than buying tainted products. (My money is on THC extraction using Butane that is

I find it interesting that the article is targeting vaping in general rather than buying tainted products. (My money is on THC extraction using Butane that is meant for fuel (that's heavily contaminated) rather than lab-grade/ pure.)

wutbrodo 7y ago
> I find it interesting that the article is targeting vaping in general rather than buying tainted products. Yea, I don't vape anything but I think it's a pretty fascinating public health issue and I'm very interested in potential developments in our understanding of its health impacts. I read the first couple of paragraphs and realized that the article has little to do with what its headline implies. I suppose I should've known better than to credulously read a headline from a clickbait rag like the NYT.
dqpb 7y ago
I find it interesting that this is news at all - Idiot intentionally inhales particulates into lungs. Experiences negative health effects.
tempguy9999 7y ago
Seems unlikely, though IANAChemist. Butane is a volatile (BP ~0 centigrade) short-chain hydrocarbon, and its isomers would likely (?) be similar. Contaminants of butane might be what? If they were longer chained they'd be less volatile but still disappear quickly. If they were long enough to hang around to mess up lungs then they'd probably not vapourise well in the first place so wouldn't make good solvents. Just a guess though.
- andrewflnr 7y ago
  Any solvent used at any stage of extraction from crude oil (?) to product, for starters. Random shit that was in the crude to start with. By products of heating any of these. For starters.
  - tempguy9999 7y ago
    Anything that got into the container holding the butane would have to be as volatile as the butane, I think. So it wouldn't be a long-lasting contaminant as it'd evaporate very quickly, along with the butane. But if I'm wrong, if it wasn't volatile at room temperature & pressure, it would remain in the container as the butane was released so probably never meet the THC/weed anyway. I dunno, but that's my reasoning.
    - cowsandmilk 7y ago
      Wrong on all accounts. If any of that was correct, distillation could be one stage and we wouldn’t need a dozen plates to separate components. And then there’s the azeotropes of butane, most famously acetaldehyde.
deleted 7y ago
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cat199 7y ago
> I find it interesting that the article is targeting vaping in general rather than buying tainted products. really? you're surprised by editorial bias favoring entrenched corporations from a 'news' publication? targeting vaping in general -> good for big pharma/big tobacco targting just tainted products -> good for all 'vaping in general' companies, even the small ones, bad for big pharma/big tobacco plus it's less sensationalist, and thus sells less copy.
- bhouston 7y ago
  Big tobacco owns juul so vaping is big tabacoo.
  - post_below 7y ago
    They have an interest in Juul... I think it was 30%. Their interest in their own products is 100% of a bigger, more profitable, market. Just because they've hedged their bets doesn't mean they aren't interested in preserving existing markets.
  - cat199 7y ago
    agree - but juul will be one of the 'regulated' products since they can afford certify it, and also is a reaction to the vaping industry, and a less profitable one at that. if big tobacco could outright ban vaping, I would wager that they would, juul be damned.
thomaskcr 7y ago
Surprised terpenes aren't mentioned in article -- when heated too hot they can degrade into benzene. Seems like they are targeted for something to extract not remove (although I know nothing about cannabis - only industrial contaminants). Not sure how hot the heating elements are supposed to get but if they get too hot you're inhaling stuff that basically creates pneumonia symptoms.
- wcchandler 7y ago
  The mighty vape is pretty well respected and ranges from 180C to 200C. Would that be hot enough to convert some into Benzene?
- xkcd-sucks 7y ago
  Limonine is a terpine, and it certainly causes lipid pneumonia, or something much like it...

wutbrodo 7y ago

> I find it interesting that the article is targeting vaping in general rather than buying tainted products. Yea, I don't vape anything but I think it's a pretty fascinating public health issue and I'm very interested in potential developments in our understanding of its health impacts. I read the first couple of paragraphs and realized that the article has little to do with what its headline implies. I suppose I should've known better than to credulously read a headline from a clickbait rag like the NYT.

dqpb 7y ago

I find it interesting that this is news at all - Idiot intentionally inhales particulates into lungs. Experiences negative health effects.

tempguy9999 7y ago

Seems unlikely, though IANAChemist. Butane is a volatile (BP ~0 centigrade) short-chain hydrocarbon, and its isomers would likely (?) be similar. Contaminants of butane might be what? If they were longer chained they'd be less volatile but still disappear quickly. If they were long enough to hang around to mess up lungs then they'd probably not vapourise well in the first place so wouldn't make good solvents. Just a guess though.

andrewflnr 7y ago
Any solvent used at any stage of extraction from crude oil (?) to product, for starters. Random shit that was in the crude to start with. By products of heating any of these. For starters.
- tempguy9999 7y ago
  Anything that got into the container holding the butane would have to be as volatile as the butane, I think. So it wouldn't be a long-lasting contaminant as it'd evaporate very quickly, along with the butane. But if I'm wrong, if it wasn't volatile at room temperature & pressure, it would remain in the container as the butane was released so probably never meet the THC/weed anyway. I dunno, but that's my reasoning.
  - cowsandmilk 7y ago
    Wrong on all accounts. If any of that was correct, distillation could be one stage and we wouldn’t need a dozen plates to separate components. And then there’s the azeotropes of butane, most famously acetaldehyde.

deleted 7y ago

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cat199 7y ago

> I find it interesting that the article is targeting vaping in general rather than buying tainted products. really? you're surprised by editorial bias favoring entrenched corporations from a 'news' publication? targeting vaping in general -> good for big pharma/big tobacco targting just tainted products -> good for all 'vaping in general' companies, even the small ones, bad for big pharma/big tobacco plus it's less sensationalist, and thus sells less copy.

bhouston 7y ago
Big tobacco owns juul so vaping is big tabacoo.
- post_below 7y ago
  They have an interest in Juul... I think it was 30%. Their interest in their own products is 100% of a bigger, more profitable, market. Just because they've hedged their bets doesn't mean they aren't interested in preserving existing markets.
- cat199 7y ago
  agree - but juul will be one of the 'regulated' products since they can afford certify it, and also is a reaction to the vaping industry, and a less profitable one at that. if big tobacco could outright ban vaping, I would wager that they would, juul be damned.

thomaskcr 7y ago

Surprised terpenes aren't mentioned in article -- when heated too hot they can degrade into benzene. Seems like they are targeted for something to extract not remove (although I know nothing about cannabis - only industrial contaminants). Not sure how hot the heating elements are supposed to get but if they get too hot you're inhaling stuff that basically creates pneumonia symptoms.

wcchandler 7y ago
The mighty vape is pretty well respected and ranges from 180C to 200C. Would that be hot enough to convert some into Benzene?
xkcd-sucks 7y ago
Limonine is a terpine, and it certainly causes lipid pneumonia, or something much like it...