A new study from vape device company PAX found that vaporizing cannabis produces up to 99% fewer harmful or potentially harmful compounds (HPHCs) than smoking joints, with combustion—not the plant itself—identified as the primary source of toxic byproducts.
Researchers Richard Rucker, PAX's director of product integrity, and Derek Shiokari, a senior chemist and data scientist at the company, compared aerosol from two PAX devices—the dry herb vaporizer FLOW and the oil vaporizer TRIP—against smoke from combusted joints. All tests used the same batch of ground Lemon Cake Batter cannabis from Humboldt Farms, measuring 16 HPHCs including benzene, formaldehyde, and acetaldehyde.
When cannabis burns, its cannabinoids, terpenes, lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates undergo thermal degradation and oxidation, generating particulate matter along with volatile organic compounds, aromatic hydrocarbons, and nitrogen-containing compounds. Vaporization, by contrast, heats cannabis below the combustion threshold while still releasing cannabinoids and terpenes.
"Combustion produces harmful byproducts—whether it's tobacco, wood or cannabis," Rucker said in a press release. "By heating cannabis without burning it, vaporization significantly reduces the formation of these toxic compounds. It's the same plant, but completely different exposure. This research helps quantify the difference, giving consumers clearer information about how their choices impact exposure."
The study concluded: "Across the sixteen quantified HPHCs, vapor aerosol contained up to 99% lower concentrations compared with joint smoke. These results demonstrate dramatic reductions in key combustion markers including aromatic hydrocarbons and aldehydes." The research was self-published by PAX.
