Is Your Vape Safe? Shocking Discovery of Toxic Metal Particles

Study shows cannabis vapes contain harmful nano-sized metals, posing health risks different from smoking.

Vaping has often been seen as a safer alternative to smoking either nicotine or cannabis. However, the increasing research and regulation of vapes is revealing a host of health risks associated with the devices. Researchers have found that cannabis vaping liquids may contain nano-sized toxic metal particles, even before the liquid is heated. This effect is even worse in unregulated devices. These findings were recently presented in the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

Cannabis Regulatory Context and Initial Research
Although a growing amount of U.S. states are legalizing cannabis, it is still illegal at the federal level. In contrast, cannabis was made federally legal in Canada under its Cannabis Act in 2018. “Cannabis vapes are newly regulated products in Canada, so we don’t yet have much scientific data about them,” says Andrew Waye, who will present the work at the meeting. “This is an opportunity for us to look at some of the questions concerning the risks and unknowns of cannabis vapes.” Waye manages the research program at the Office of Cannabis Science and Surveillance at Health Canada.