Black market THC and CBD carts (and counterfeit e-cigs) were to blame at first, but our previous report detailed the problems with overall vape regulations in Canada. Lung collapse by tocopherols (vitamin E acetate) is far easier to explain than the tissue damage caused by these THC vape pens.
Full Answer
Why are vape carts contaminated with THC?
The contamination is emanating out of the supply chain for illicit market THC vape carts, the CDC said Oct. 30. “The latest national and state findings suggest products containing THC, particularly those obtained off the street or from other informal sources.
Can vaping a black market cart cause shortness of breath?
Anyone who has vaped a black market cart in recent days or weeks and subsequently developed shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea, weakness, and tiredness should see a physician. Bring the cart.
What are Dank Vapes and Chronic Carts?
Health officials have confirmed that among the tainted carts are ones with the illicit market brand names Dank Vapes, TKO, Off White, Moon Rocks, Chronic Carts, and West Coast Carts, but the condition is linked to multiple illicit market brands across multiple states.
What makes a vape cartridge go bad?
This heat can come from a high-temperature day, the hot interior of a car, or just the body heat transmitted into a pocket. The other main factor that makes a vape cartridge go bad is exposure to light, and especially sunlight.
Can vape carts make you sick?
Corresponding with the increased use of vaping products, a new phenomenon known as “e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury,” or EVALI, has arisen. Victims of this health problem report symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, coughing, and other concerning respiratory issues.
How harmful are carts?
Due to the lack of regulation, some THC cartridges and vape pens can be dangerous to your health and may cause a lung illness called EVALI. Studies suggest black market and counterfeit carts and vape pens are more likely to contain harmful pesticides and additives.
What are 4 harmful chemicals in Vapes?
Besides nicotine, e-cigarettes can contain harmful and potentially harmful ingredients, including:ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs.flavorants such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to serious lung disease.volatile organic compounds.heavy metals, such as nickel, tin, and lead.
What can carts do to your health?
Besides the obvious lung and breathing issues, some of these side effects include:Impaired brain development.Attention span issues.Lack of impulse control.Memory and problem-solving challenges.
How does a fake cart feel?
Any THC cartridge that has a burnt flavor, a metal aftertaste, or that makes you cringe is a good sign that the cartridge is counterfeit. These “off-flavors” should not be present and may indicate that it has contaminants or other additives that are causing a bad reaction when heated up into vapor.
Can I smoke an old cart?
Technically, a vape cartridge will never spoil, but it won't taste very good anymore. It also probably won't produce any effects, so there's no real benefit to puffing on an expired product.
What is the safest vape?
A regulated mod or e cig is one of the safest vapes as it has a circuit board built in to protect the user. This would have features such as power cut off modes and max wattage settings.
What are 5 negative effects of vaping?
The most commonly-reported adverse effects were throat/mouth irritation, headache, cough, and nausea, which tended to dissipate with continued use....Coughing, dry throat, headachescoughing.dry mouth and throat.shortness of breath.mouth and throat irritation.headaches.
Is vaping or smoking worse?
1: Vaping is less harmful than smoking, but it's still not safe. E-cigarettes heat nicotine (extracted from tobacco), flavorings and other chemicals to create an aerosol that you inhale. Regular tobacco cigarettes contain 7,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic.
Are Fake carts safe?
Fake cartridges often come with unsafe batteries, which can cause combustion, or overheating of the vape. Low-quality materials used for the cartridge container may release poisonous fumes that are dangerous to inhale. Long-term use may lead to vaping-associated pulmonary injury, which can result in death.
What are some vaping related illness symptoms?
EVALI may cause the following symptoms:Shortness of breath.Cough.Chest pain.Fever and chills.Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.Rapid heartbeat.Rapid and shallow breathing.
Are cake carts safe?
We're still fuzzy on the nature of any actual company behind this brand, but we can conclude with 100% certainty that it is at least frequently counterfeited. This means that you should not trust Cake brand carts from a plug, or from sketchy retail offerings such as gas stations and vape shops in unlicensed states.
What are the names of the tainted vapes?
Health officials have confirmed that among the tainted carts are ones with the illicit market brand names Dank Vapes, TKO, Off White, Moon Rocks, Chronic Carts, and West Coast Carts , but the condition is linked to multiple illicit market brands across multiple states.
What is the extract called in vape carts?
Check store licenses on regulators’ websites, like California’s license lookup tool. In terms of extracts, additive-free extract is called “rosin”, and it also comes in vape carts in mature adult-use markets.
Can vape carts cause lung damage?
There are multiple known contaminants in illicit vape carts that could cause lung injury. But on Nov. 8, the CDC announced a “very strong culprit of concern”—vitamin E oil, (aka tocopheryl-acetate).
Can you throw away a vape cartridge?
If you own illicit vape cartridges, throw them away immediately. The CDC, FDA, and HHS advised consumers to avoid buying cannabis vapes or using products off the street. They are unregulated, untested, and are often contaminated. If you purchase any disposable vaporizer cartridge—either THC, nicotine, or CBD—and it’s filled with ...
Is tocopheryl acetate found in vape cartridges?
California lab Anresco announced Oct. 28 that no tocopheryl-acetate has been found in tests of over 200 licensed cartridges.
Is Uber Thick acetate?
On Sept. 13, SC Labs of California found Floraplex’s Uber Thick to be almost totally tocopheryl-acetate. The FDA has received about 900 samples for testing. So far, they’ve found vitamin E acetate in 47% of the 225 THC carts tested.
Is tocopheryl acetate banned in vapes?
Washington and Oregon banned tocopheryl acetate in vapes mid-November. Colorado intends to ban tocopheryl-acetate, MCT oil, and PEG this winter. Cheap illicit market vape carts also routinely malfunction. Malfunctioning carts can get very hot, and burn additives and thickeners, releasing an unknown noxious gas.
Is the CDC warning about black market?
Instagram. The CDC has been warning since the outbreak began about the risks of buying products "off the street," and Friday's update highlighted the risks of the black market. Sometimes young consumers don't even realize that they're buying unregulated or illicit products.
Can vaping cause lung problems?
Investigators have found that cannabis-containing vaping products are linked with many of the reported cases of vaping-related lung illness. Investigators have found that cannabis-containing vaping products are linked with many of the reported cases of vaping-related lung illness.
Is vaping a THC product?
And the CDC updated its warning against vaping to emphasize the risk of THC products: "CDC recommends people consider refraining from using e-cigarette, or vaping, products, particularly those containing THC," the CDC's Anne Schuchat said during a telebriefing Friday.
Is Dank Vapes a black market product?
For people who are unsuspecting, black market products like Dank Vapes can be deceptive. "Dank Vapes sounds like a cool name, it sounds like a cool product and it looks like legitimate packaging," says Jeffrey Kahn, who operates a medical marijuana dispensary in Washington, D.C.
Dank Vapes user coughs blood
This user reports “I kept getting thick yellow mucus” and “One day I coughed up blood (like a thick bloody loogie) and my chest just felt like it was full of liquids” from continuous use of Dank vapes.
DabWoods user has high heart rate, blood pressure
This post reports the effects of just one rip off a DabWoods cart. He had spiked heart rate and blood pressure, along with chest pains and shortness of breath. The symptoms persisted for days while the user checked into a hospital. The user further reported panic attacks. The doctor’s conclusion was that the cart was the cause.
Pen Ex user coughs up blood
This post is rather sparse on the details, but tells us the brand was Pen Ex. We have not gotten around to writing that one up yet, but here’s one report of a Pen Ex cart. Here’s another shot we find of a completely different design of the PenEx cart:
Counterfeit Select Elite user suffers bloody nose congestion
This post is by a user who was using Select Elites, but from a plug. We covered counterfeit Select Elite cartridges first appearing back in August 2019. Sadly, Select Elite is a decent brand which has been unfairly targeted by Chinese counterfeiters.
All of the above reports are from this year 2020
This is what sets off the alarm bell for us: Every posted report of symptoms from black market carts that we list here have occurred within the last few months. This is well after the initial VAPI story broke, long after street dealers knew to stop using cut (if they cared), and long after users became wary of black market carts.
Sky High Originals causes fainting, mini-seizure
We noted Sky High Originals as more of an unregulated street brand because it seemed to come from a single source. However, somebody scoring them off a plug on Instagram just blew that theory. A 15-year-old girl vapes it and falls down, slurs her speech, and has a mini-seizure. Scary moment, as any parent can relate.
Health hazards in black market carts go well beyond vitamin E acetate
The Chemical and Engineering News podcast has a transcript published just recently about the ongoing investigation into the full causes of VAPI. One path of inquiry is whether additive chemicals can break down into ketone, also harmful when vaped.
What is an e-cigarette?
Using an e-cigarette is commonly called vaping. E-cigarettes work by heating a liquid to produce an aerosol that users inhale into their lungs.
How does an e-cigarette work?
E-cigarettes work by heating a liquid to produce an aerosol that users inhale into their lungs. The liquid can contain: nicotine, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabinoid (CBD) oils, and other substances, flavorings, and additives. THC is the psychoactive mind-altering compound of marijuana that produces the “high.”.
When will vaping e-cigarettes peak?
Emergency department (ED) visits related to e-cigarette, or vaping, products continue to decline, after sharply increasing in August 2019 and peaking in September. National and state data from patient reports and product sample testing show tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-containing e-cigarette, or vaping, products, ...
When is the next vaping hospital admission?
Dates of symptom onset and hospital admission for patients with lung injury associated with e-cigarette use, or vaping — United States, March 31, 2019–February 15, 2020. Numbers do not sum to 2,807 due to missing admission dates.
Does vitamin E acetate have evali?
Vitamin E acetate has not been found in the lung fluid of people that do not have EVALI.
Can you use a nicotine e-cigarette?
Adults who do not currently use tobacco products should not start using e-cigarette, or vaping , products.
Is THC a harmful substance?
THC use has been associated with a wide range of health effects, particularly with prolonged frequent use. The best way to avoid potentially harmful effects is to not use THC-containing e-cigarette, or vaping, products.
Is there a new warning about vaping?
New warning about vaping after lung illnesses. The health commissioner of New York is urging everyone to stop using e-cigarettes until investigators can figure out why hundreds of people in at least 33 states developed lung illnesses after vaping. Ryan J. Lane/Getty Images, FILE.
Can smoking e-cigarettes cause lung disease?
While some cases of lung illness occurred among smokers who used only nicotine e-cigarettes, the majority of cases were among smokers who used THC vape products, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other e-cigarette smokers with lung disease used both nicotine and THC devices. "This outbreak does not appear ...
Can you buy THC off the street?
The CDC's recommendation for THC devices is more direct: No one should buy THC or cannabinoid vaping products off the street and no one should modify or adulterate e-liquids purchased from a manufacturer. The Food and Drug Administration wants smokers to stop vaping THC oil products entirely.
What are the surfactants in the Warburg Effect?
The surfactants, Vitamin E acetate and Polysorbate 80 , block this messenger and potentially slow down cell division. This might ramp lung damage if the surrounding tissues are not fed enough oxygen (Warburg Effect). New tissue will still need to form via cell division if lung tissue is attacked by a toxin and killed in any condition.
Does Huntington's disease cause brain cells to die?
On the other end, Huntington’s disease causes brain cells to die by specifically shutting down cannabinoid 1 ( CB1) receptors. A study published in Springer Nature in 2019 detailed the importance of PI3K in neuron cell death in Huntington’s Disease. (4) Cannabis ‘s natural polypharmacy works on a highly balanced rhythm that does not cause ...
Does cannabis cause cancer?
Cannabis ‘s natural polypharmacy works on a highly balanced rhythm that does not cause the same risk of cancer or lung damage as THC vapes. So, it is typically ill-advised to alter this balance unnaturally.
Does heat affect THC?
Heat influences THC to turn into Delta-8, CBN, or degrade. So, heat is an issue in the identity of the molecule. When you put THC in a vape cartridge, it is Delta-9 THC in the beginning. But, does anything happen to the THC when you heat it for vaporization? That question hasn’t really been answered, yet.
Does THC damage the lungs?
The consensus has been that tocopherols (Vitamin E acetate) are partly responsible for lung damage caused by THC vapes. Vitamin E acetate is not water-soluble but also replaces the natural surfactant that lines the inside of your lungs. There is a fluid in your lungs that allows the little sacs known as alveoli to expand with air.
How to tell if vape cartridge is bad?
The first thing to check is that the cartridge has the same viscosity and clarity as when you first bought it. The oil should still be some uniform shade of light yellow to amber.
Why does my vape cartridge age?
This heat can come from a high-temperature day, the hot interior of a car, or just the body heat transmitted into a pocket. The other main factor when it comes to the premature aging of a vape cartridge is exposure to light, and especially sunlight.
How to increase vape cartridge longevity?
There are a couple of simple ways to increase your vape cartridge’s longevity. Storing your vape in a case can increase the longevity of the cartridge. photo credit. Just like with flower, how long your vape cartridge stays potent depends on how much care you put into storing it.
How to keep THC cartridges from turning brown?
Keep your cartridges out of direct light, and especially sunlight. Excess light can turn the oil brown and break down the THC molecules, which means losing both potency and flavor. Sunlight also means extra heat, which as mentioned above will damage the cartridge even more.
What is the bottom of a vape cartridge?
At the bottom of the cartridge is a metal plate that vaporizes the oil, which gets inhaled through the mouthpiece. The plate is heated by a battery on one end of the vape pen. Vape carts have increased in popularity due to their ability to bring them on-the-go and allow people to remain discrete.
What happens if the oil inside a cartridge is sludgy?
Similarly, if the oil inside has become sludgy or thickened in any way, the squeeze ain’t gonna be worth the juice.
Can you smoke old vape cartridges?
In general, an old vape cartridge, just like old weed, won’t put you at risk for any serious health issues if you smoke it. It’s also not recommended, since it won’t be that potent, the taste will be off, and you might cough a lot more, get very sleepy or get a headache.
