According to a study published in the journal EClinical Medicine on Monday, people who only smoke cannabis have higher levels of several smoke-related toxins (such as naphthalene, acrylamide, and acrylonitrile) in their blood and urine compared to non-smokers .
Senior author Dr. Dana Gabuzda said: “In the United States, the use of marijuana is on the rise, and more and more states are legalizing it for medical and non-medical purposes-including five new states in the 2020 election.” Boston Virology from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Gabzda said: “This increase has renewed concerns about the potential health effects of cannabis smoke, which is known to be the same as certain toxic combustion products contained in tobacco smoke.”
Smoker
This new study provides data from three studies of 245 HIV-positive and HIV-negative participants. The researchers said that they chose to study HIV-infected people because of the high tobacco and marijuana smoking rates in this population.
Compare medical records with blood and urine samples from various chemicals produced by the breakdown of nicotine or the burning of tobacco or marijuana.
However, people who smoke marijuana do not have high levels of acrolein.
Gabuzda said: “This is the first study to compare the exposure of proprietary cannabis smokers and tobacco smokers to acrolein and other harmful smoke-related chemicals over time, and to see whether these exposures are related to cardiovascular disease. ”
Acrolein is a chemical substance with burning, sweet taste and pungent odor. Its combustion is produced by the combustion of fuels such as gasoline or petroleum and organic substances such as tobacco. The chemical is not added to cigarettes; when smoking, burning the sugar in the tobacco produces acrolein.
Weed smoker
Although weed smokers have higher levels of naphthalene, acrylamide, and acrylonitrile in blood and urine than non-smokers, they are even higher in smokers, smokers, and a mixture of marijuana and tobacco.
Acrylamide is a chemical used to make paper, plastics, and dyes, but it also produces acrylamide when vegetables such as potatoes are heated to high temperatures. It is also a component of tobacco smoke.
The EPA classifies acrylonitrile as a “probable human carcinogen.”
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