Researchers at Portland State University are investigating the effect of additives on vaping products. Rob Strongin, Chemistry Professor and research lead, is specifically looking at the chemical reaction that occurs when cannabis is consumed using a vape pen or dab rig.
Like most products that are inhaled through combustion, the listed ingredients of the product are altered once ignited. The study found that of the known toxins formed during vaping, more came from terpenes than THC. Strongin noted that vendors were adding up to 30% (or more) additional terpenes to their products. These terpenes have a significant impact on the taste and smell of the product.
Strongin said, “It's not the active ingredients, like THC or nicotine, that appear to be causing the hospitalizations and deaths, but what they are combined with.” He continued, “Vitamins and thickening agents like Vitamin E have unknown effects on the lungs, and they can undergo reactions during vaping to produce both well-known and potential aerosol toxins”.
Their study is published in ACS Omega.