The engineering researchers of the University of Alberta have distinguished the potentially toxic particles in cannabis smoke. As a result, they are raising awareness among the people about the various health effects being posed by these particles.
According to Robert Nishida, a U of A post-doctoral fellow and co-lead on the study, it’s not absurd to say that marijuana smoke constitutes potential health hazards. However, at the moment, they do not possess enough analysis in support of this.
The Research
A single puff of cannabis smoke comprises of tons of particles. Among them, Nishida’s team observed 2575 chemical compounds in a typical joint and was able to pinpoint 536. Out of those 536 chemical compounds, 110 are known to be toxic, including 69 substances known to occur in tobacco smoke.
Effects Of These Chemicals
- Cancer,
- Genetic Mutation,
- Hinders the growth of embryo or foetus.
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On the other hand, they found more toxic compounds in tobacco (173). However, Nishida’s team discovered that the particles in cannabis smoke were around 29 percent larger.
Altogether, a cannabis joint has 3.4 times more mass from the total particulate matter in comparison with a cigarette. Nishida stated that: “And with some caveats, that mass is what you consider tar.”
After burning tobacco, a sticky brown substance made up of lethal chemical particles is remained behind. This is called tar.
Smoking Machine
Nishida and his team are adept in creating instrumentation for the measurement of aerosol particles. Hence, they made use of a ‘smoking machine’. This functions like a lung to pull out the desired degree of smoke from specimens of both a standard tobacco and a cannabis cigarette.
He further stated that they chose tobacco cigarettes as a basis. Particularly because tobacco cigarettes have been studied for decades. They compared all of their calculations against a standard reference cigarette. They selected what they thought is the most standard or typical type of marijuana joint.
The Process
A large bag collects the smoke. Here the lab’s aerosol instrumentation measures the characteristics of the particles. These particles were classified according to their physical properties like size and concentration along with chemical properties.
The size of these particles opt the position of their deposition in the lungs along with the chemicals they are made up of. Whether the particles are in the throat, in the upper airways or transported down into the alveoli, it all depends on the size of their particles and their further physical characteristics.
People need to fully acknowledge the tobacco smoke. It’s health affects aren’t finalized yet, however, people have been apprised of their hazards and dangers.
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Nishida explained that: “Tobacco cigarettes have been studied for decades, and even with tobacco, I don’t think the picture is fully there. The body of research for marijuana smoke is not even remotely comparable.”
In addition to this, researchers need to grasp the concept of marijuana smoke in a better way. This includes puff profiles, joint design, cannabis strain and how the chemicals are carried away.
https://cannabishealthinsider.com/3895/f...ecosystem/
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