The Recent Spate of Deaths from Vaping – What You Need to Know

There has been some terrible news coming out of America (September 2019) in relation to a spate of vaping-related deaths. These would appear to be related to counterfeit THC vaping cartridges and THC should not be confused with CBD. They are both cannabinoids, but they are very different chemicals. 

This is disturbing news and has sent shockwaves throughout both the vaping industry and vaping community.

As highly responsible retailers of CBD vaping juice and associated products, here at Puff Puff Liquids we wanted to write an article that tells you the facts as we understand them. Please note, these facts are based on what we have read from reputable sources and this is not simply a biased article written in an attempt to protect our business.

Is vaping safe?

There are no guarantees that vaping is 100% safe and anyone who claims otherwise is being 100% irresponsible.

What we do know is that vaping has not been identified as causing the same problems to the lungs, heart and circulation of blood that are associated with smoking tobacco.

In addition, vaping CBD juice should not be seen as a ‘pleasurable pastime’ in the way smoking cigarettes used to be.

Those of you who vape CBD oil tend to do so for holistic reasons and to gain a specific benefit that is associated with CBD, a cannabinoid from the cannabis plant. One of the biggest advantages of vaping CBD oil is that the perceived benefits are more rapidly felt through CBD entering the bloodstream more swiftly via the lungs than if ingested via the stomach.

Why are there so many deaths from vaping?

So, we don’t want those of you who are thinking of vaping CBD oil, or who already do, to shy away from using it until you have a better understanding of why there have been so many vaping-related deaths and lung injuries in the USA.

While it is early days in the investigation where, according to the highly reputable Time magazine, there have been 12 deaths and over 800 cases of vaping-related lung injury, there does seem to be two common links connecting the majority of deaths and lung injuries. These are that vapers have been vaping THC oil, and that those who have become ill have been purchasing counterfeit “Dank Vapes” cartridges. 

Beyond this, we believe that vaping THC is a fairly intense form of vaping that involves drawing the THC vapour directly into your lungs, in substantial volume, direct from the vape pen. While this may be with the intention of getting a greater ‘hit’ if the coil in the vape tank is set to high, the temperature of the vapour entering the lungs will be appreciably hotter as well. When vaping CBD oil, our recommendation is not to inhale directly into the lungs, but draw the vapour into the mouth before inhaling, which will allow you to mix the vapour with cooler air as you do so. 

Avoid counterfeit vape products

Beyond this, a study carried out by America’s NBC News network identified that of 18 tested THC vape cartridges, three which were purchased from legitimate pharmacies contained no harmful toxins. The same could not be said for the remaining 15 cartridges which were bought on the black market – from the street or counterfeiters’ supposedly legitimate websites.

They all contained myclobutanil, a fungicide that can transform into hydrogen cyanide when burned. Thirteen out of the 15 samples contained Vitamin E acetate, which some health officials have blamed for the deaths and lung illnesses linked to vape pens. Ten of the unregulated cartridges also tested positive for pesticides. “You certainly don’t want to be smoking cyanide,” Antonio Frazier, the vice president of operations at testing lab CannaSafe, told NBC News. “I don’t think anyone would buy a cart that was labeled hydrogen cyanide on it.”

Here at Puff Puff Liquids we want you to enjoy our products and vape our CBD juice without worrying unduly about any side effects or associated health issues. We cannot and never will claim that vaping CBD oil is 100% safe, but for the time being, we have no reason to believe that with sensible use and buying from a wholly reputable source, you need have any more concerns today than you had yesterday.

On the subject of a reputable and responsible source of CBD oil, we gladly invite you to check out the traceability and certifications we have obtained for the CBD oil we use in our products here.

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