What is the Point of a Bong: Benefits and Risks
The point of a bong is to consume cannabis in larger and more potent doses while cooling and cleaning the smoke through water filtration. This process allows for stronger, smoother hits without the harshness, reducing the likelihood of coughing for a more comfortable experience.
While there are many different cannabis smoking devices, bongs are specifically used for dry cannabis herbs. They may look bulky compared to pipes and joints, but they offer the best water filtration of hot smoke by far.
What exactly does a bong do?
A bong filters and cools cannabis smoke in the water chamber. Lighting the herb in the bowl and inhaling draws smoke down the stem into the water. As the smoke bubbles through the water, it cools and filters, collecting in the chamber above. Removing the bowl allows inhalation of a smoother, more potent hit of concentrated, filtered smoke.
What is the benefit of smoking a bong?
The benefits of smoking a bong are a smoother and cleaner experience compared to dry methods like joints or pipes. Water filtration cools and cleans the smoke, making hits less harsh on your throat and lungs. Bongs allow larger inhales, intensifying effects and offering a more potent experience.
While a bong can provide some pretty awesome benefits compared to dry pipes, it also carries certain risks due to the increased exposure to harmful substances found in smoke, which we'll discuss in this article.
Below are the many benefits of a water pipe:
1. Smoother, cooler hits
Bongs deliver smoother hits by filtering smoke through water and cooling it before inhalation. This reduces harshness and irritation to the respiratory system, resulting in a more comfortable smoking experience with less coughing and throat irritation.
Why this matters: Without water, a potent bong hit would be too harsh, causing coughing and irritation. Water diffusion in a bong smooths the smoke, allowing for potent hits with minimal coughing
Water filtration in bongs cools hot cannabis smoke, which can reach up to 1100°F (600°C). As the hot smoke bubbles through the water, its temperature drops rapidly to under 200°F. Since cannabis smoke irritates lungs above 400-450°F, a bong's cooling system is crucial for keeping smoke temperatures comfortable for your lungs.
2. Larger, more potent intakes
Bongs are more potent due to their efficient smoke delivery system. The spacious water chamber holds a large volume of concentrated smoke. When inhaled, this dense smoke provides a higher dose of THC to the lungs quickly.
This rapid, intense intake often results in a faster-acting, more potent high.
The design of a bong allows for what's known as a "bong rip" - a large, concentrated hit of cannabis smoke. The water chamber creates a vacuum effect, letting you inhale more smoke than with a joint or pipe. This increased smoke volume, combined with rapid intake, leads to quicker absorption of THC and other cannabinoids.
3. Enhanced flavor and therapeutic benefits
Bongs enhance cannabis flavor by preserving heat-sensitive terpenes and flavonoids. Water filtration cools the smoke rapidly, protecting these delicate compounds from degradation. This cooling effect allows more terpenes to survive, resulting in a richer, more complex flavor that highlights the unique characteristics of different cannabis strains.
Different terpenes have different boiling points and breakdown temperatures. Some common cannabis terpenes and their boiling points include:
- Pinene: 311°F
- Humulene: 222°F
- Limonene: 348°F
- Myrcene: 332°F
- Linalool: 390°F
Since bong water cools combusted smoke to under 200°F, this preserves the terpenes, which are essential for both flavor and therapeutic benefits.
Insider tip: The material of the bong can also impact flavor. If taste matters to you, check out our guide on the difference between silicone and glass bongs.
4. Improved filtration of harmful substances
Bongs filter smoke by removing harmful substances like acrolein and acetaldehyde, as well as trapping tar, ash, and resin usually inhaled from a dry pipe. This filtration, combined with cooling, results in smoother hits with less throat and lung irritation.
Important: While bongs provide great filtration they don't eliminate all risks, as the smoke still contains high levels of toxins, including carbon monoxide and carcinogens.
Research by MAPS found that water pipes retained 90% of phenols and 50% of particulates and benzo(a)pyrene from smoke. The filtration process begins as the smoke passes through water, which acts as a physical barrier, trapping some larger particles and water-soluble compounds.
How to increase filtration: The type of percolator in a bong can significantly increase filtration. Different percolator designs create very different smoke diffusion patterns (water bubble movement), improving filtration. Pick a stronger perc such as a showerhead or UFO perc to level up your filtration in your bong.
5. Customizable experience
Bongs offer a highly customizable smoking experience through various designs types, sizes, and cooling features like ice catchers and percolators. This versatility allows you to tailor your hit intensity, filtration, and comfort settings to your personal preferences, whether you’re looking for quick intense hits or more diluted but smooth inhale.
For example, a larger bong allows hot smoke to travel longer, cooling it more effectively than smaller bongs. Add an ice catcher, which holds ice cubes in the neck, and a Matrix percolator, known for its superior filtration and cooling. This setup delivers larger bong rips that are incredibly smooth, so smooth you won’t notice the hit and experience no coughing.
Choosing the right bong can be a complex decision with so many options available. If you’re new to the endless customization options bongs have, we recommend always starting with a beginner bong, which is usually in the middle between harsh but fast-hitting and smooth but less potent.
What are the Risks of Smoking a Bong?
The risks of smoking a bong include potential lung irritation and exposure to tiny, harmful particles in the smoke. While bongs cool and filter smoke, they don't remove all dangerous substances. The smooth hits might lead people to smoke more often or take bigger puffs, which could increase health risks over time.
Find out how bongs affect your lungs and why you might smoke more than you expect:
1. Exposure to harmful airborne particles
Bong smoking can lead to significant exposure to fine particulate matter, which lingers in the air long after smoking.
Fine particulate matter, also called PM2.5, are tiny particles in the air that are 2.5 micrometers or smaller - so small your eyes can’t see them. These tiny particles can be harmful if you breathe them in.
Did you know: To prevent inhaling fine particulate matter, make sure you exhale your smoke into a carbon-activated filter. The filter traps harmful airborne particles and can be used for up to 300 bong rips.
A study by the National Library of Medicine on water pipes found that smoking a bong at home increased fine particulate matter levels, with elevated levels lasting up to twelve hours after smoking.
This means that when someone uses a bong to smoke cannabis indoors, it fills the air with lots of invisible, potentially harmful particles. Even if you're not the one smoking, breathing in this smoky air could be bad for your health, especially if you're exposed to it for a long time.
The study by Berkley University found that the particle levels from bong smoke were even higher than the air pollution from wildfire smoke that caused orange skies in some areas. And these particles stayed in the air for many hours after people finished smoking.
2. Unfiltered compounds
Many people believe bongs are significantly healthier than other smoking methods because of water filtration. However, studies show that while water filtration removes some harmful substances, it doesn't eliminate all toxins. The smoke produced still contains high levels of potentially harmful compounds such as carbon monoxide and metals.
This misconception can lead to underestimating the health risks associated with daily bong smoking. You might smoke more frequently or take larger hits, believing the water filtration provides total protection. While bongs may offer some benefits, they don't make smoking risk-free.
Making bongs safer: A quick and easy solution to increase the filtration of your bong to stop more harmful compounds is using a carbon-activated bong filter. Cannabis smoke must travel through the filter before entering your bong water, giving twice the filtration.
3. Potential for Increased Consumption
Bong hits are smoother and less harsh, which often leads to smoking more cannabis than you might with other methods. The cooling effect of water makes it easier to take bigger hits or smoke more frequently, ramping up your overall use without you realizing it.
This increased consumption can quickly boost your tolerance, meaning you'll need more cannabis to feel the same effects - and that costs more. Bigger hits also mean more intense highs, which can be overwhelming for new smokers with low tolerances. To keep your tolerance and costs in check, take regular breaks and remember to take smaller hits, even when the bong makes it easy to go big.
Pro-tip:If you love the power of bong rips but want to take smaller and more controlled hits, aim for a mini bong or a bubbler which helps to reduce the total intake and to keep your tolerance lower.
4. Secondhand smoke exposure
Bong smoke isn't just a concern for the person smoking - it can also affect others nearby. Studies show that bongs produce a lot more tiny, harmful particles in the air compared to cigarettes or hookahs. This means people around you, especially kids or those with health issues, might be breathing in more secondhand smoke than you'd expect.
Secondhand cannabis smoke contains many of the same harmful chemicals found in tobacco smoke, which can irritate the lungs and potentially cause breathing issues for anyone exposed. To reduce these risks, it's important to smoke in well-ventilated areas or, better yet, outdoors.
Using air purifiers, opening windows, or designating smoking areas away from common spaces can also help minimize exposure to others.
5. Respiratory risks
Regular bong use can lead to what some call "bong lungs" - symptoms like a nagging cough and feeling short of breath. Even though water filters out some nasty stuff, you're still inhaling smoke that can irritate your lungs over time.
Bong smoking might also affect your heart. The smoke contains things that can impact how your heart works and the health of your blood vessels. While water catches some of the bad stuff, it doesn't get rid of everything. Long-term use could still put stress on your heart and lungs, so it's smart to be aware of how much you're using.
Summary
Bongs offer a unique way to enjoy cannabis, balancing a better smoking experience with some health factors to consider. The water in the bong cools the smoke and filters out some of the nasty stuff, making for smoother hits that are easier on your throat and lungs. This cooling also keeps more of the flavors intact, letting you really taste the differences between cannabis strains.
But it's important to know that while bongs do some filtering, they don't make smoking risk-free. You're still breathing in smoke with tiny particles and other things that could be harmful. Some people think bongs are much safer than other ways of smoking, which might lead them to smoke more. This could increase health risks over time.
If you're thinking about using a bong regularly, it's smart to understand both the good and not-so-good sides. Bongs can make smoking more enjoyable and a bit less harsh, but it's crucial to pay attention to how much you're using. They can still affect your lungs and heart over time if you use them a lot. Like with any way of using cannabis, the key is to be moderate and make informed choices to get the benefits while keeping the risks low.
