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aluminum in smoking devices

K

kij

Bluelighter
Joined
Dec 30, 2007
Messages
78
I've always heard that smoking out of aluminum foil is unhealthy (i dont debate that it probobly is, i have no evidence though). But does that mean that pipes that are sold at head shops which are made of aluminum (and have some sort of paint on them which chips away in tiny bits) are bad too? Should i throw out my new pipe (it was only 8 bucks anyway)? does anybody have any good info on this? I've looked everywhere and the only conclusion i could come to is that maybe i should throw out my pipe to be safe, get myself a stone one (i want something unbreakable). Also i would be interested if anybody new ANYTHING about exactly what metals these pipes may be made of (maybe some have lead in them or something). Its sad that the government doesnt strictly monitor or restrict these things (its also sad they dont even watch the most obvious things like toxic chemicals in food, cigs, or anything else).
 
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Melting point of aluminum ~1200F, average smoking temps are 400-500F.

I'd be more worried about inhaling the paint. Which is probably annodize, which you can google yourself.

It's like ice, until it reaches 32 degrees (or 0 for those of you with a sensible measurement system) it is entirely solid. It is either solid or liquid, never both.

You're in the clear.

However, considering its probably made in China nobody but a lab can tell you about the lead content.

Stone pipes are just as breakable as glass in my experience, unless you get a fatty stone pipe. Which is still breakable. Just dont smoke on concrete if you're so concerned about a 10$ pipe.
 
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I don't really trip about smoking out of tin foil. I really don't think it poses much of a threat to be honest. I think the material that you smoke is probably doing more harm to your lungs anywase.

Glass pipes ftw.
 
^^Yep I don't understand why anyone would rather smoke out of a $8 metal pipe over a $10-20 glass peice. Even if pipes are pricy by you you should be able to get a glass onie/hitterbat for $10 or so.
 
Cone said:
Melting point of aluminum ~1200F, average smoking temps are 400-500F.

I'd be more worried about inhaling the paint. Which is probably annodize, which you can google yourself.

It's like ice, until it reaches 32 degrees (or 0 for those of you with a sensible measurement system) it is entirely solid. It is either solid or liquid, never both.

You're in the clear.
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just because the melting point is 1200 doesnt mean that fumes or other chemicals etc still cant be released at lower temps
 
Dextro 2C said:
I don't really trip about smoking out of tin foil. I really don't think it poses much of a threat to be honest. I think the material that you smoke is probably doing more harm to your lungs anywase.

Glass pipes ftw.
Click to expand...

Im not concerned about lung damage here, im concerned about neurotoxicity (which is a factor with things smoked too but ive accepted that)

Thanks for that insightful info , i wasnt expecting any responses. I agree that metal pipes dont' hit as cleanly as glass (but glass breaks and it always makes me feel like im being a dumbass stoner when i do it)but i really want a cheap small unbreakable pipe that i can keep forever.

zigzag| dta said:
just because the melting point is 1200 doesnt mean that fumes or other chemicals etc still cant be released at lower temps
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I thought that aluminum was a single element, what chemicals besides aluminum could it possibly release? maybe something leftover from the production process??

Heres some good merck index info (that the person who uses this account of course didnt provide), keep in mind the merck index is occasionally wrong

Monograph Number: 321
Title: Aluminum
"Melting point: mp 660°c
Boiling point: bp 2327°c
Does not vaporize even at high temps
CAUTION: Potential symptoms of overexposure are irritation of eyes, skin and respiratory system. See NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards (DHHS/NIOSH 97-140, 1997) p 12. See also Patty's Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology vol. 2C, G. D. Clayton, F. E. Clayton, Eds. (John Wiley & Sons, New York, 4th ed., 1994) pp 1881-1902."

Merck also says that lead is soluble in ascetic acid (which is vinager right?) and it doesn't say aluminum is (or that it isnt for that matter) so if i put my pipe in vinager and it disintegrates than i'll know there's lead in it. Also If there were mercury in the pipe it would've evaporated already because it has a low boiling point (92 degrees). Though if the metals are mixed than they might yield different properties (proof of this would be the dental fillings known as amalgams which are partly made of mercury, which aren't entirely stable supposedly but it's much more stable than mercury alone). Im not sure if im going to be putting my bowl in vinager anytime soon.

Going a bit off topic What's the deal with ceramic pipes? would that be a better alternative (or if anybody has knowledge of the safety or clean hittingness of any other materials pipes are made from). glass is the best but even the small ones always seem to break...
 
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If you bought a metal pipe from any kind of shop then chances are you're safe; as with any commercial product these things need to go through a safety inspection before they can be sold. If it was unsafe, you wouldn't have been able to buy it in the first place.
 
There's already a lot of aluminum in the cannabis you're smoking anyway,
The aluminum content of tobacco and cannabis was confirmed to be high, as much as 0.37% and 0.4% by weight respectively. Aluminum in tobacco and cannabis smoke, whether actively (drawn) or passively inhaled, was shown to accumulate significantly in surrogate lung fluids, thus demonstrating its potential biological availability.
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http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0002934305007102

so I wouldn't worry about it.
 
zigzag| dta said:
just because the melting point is 1200 doesnt mean that fumes or other chemicals etc still cant be released at lower temps
Click to expand...

I agree with this point.
 
Aluminum foil doesn't usually have any other chemicals in it. Just pure aluminum and aluminum oxide.
 
check out the pot or not thread in CD right now. the pipe in the second photo is a small glass piece that has been dropped on hard surfaces from shoulder height more than once and hasn't so much as cracked.

it's made of borosilicate (aka pyrex) and is very hardy at 2mm+ thick. it's barely more expensive than a standard glass piece as well, and definitely worth extra few dollars.

you can typically tell pyrex apart from regular glass because it's coloured with earth tones and will not feature neon or bright, unnatural colours in it's design. you should definitely inquire at your local headshop/glassworks about it, biggest boon to the glass industry evar!
 
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