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Potential Health Risk W/ Acrylic Pieces

Discussion in 'Seasoned Marijuana Users' started by Sam_Spade, Aug 9, 2008.

  1. Greetings,

    I was just doing some brief chemistry research for the sheer fun of it, and I came across something disturbing.

    Polymethyl methacrylate, also known as acrylic, is what many, many pipes and bongs are made out of. I know a lot of cats who own acrylic bongs... Grasscity even sells them!

    Now, it turns out that one of the attributes of polymethyl methacrylate is that it is an Ester chemical compound, something that is particularly susceptible to polymer degradation.

    Now, one of the best-known methods to clean out pieces is the use of isopropyl alcohol and salt. Isopropyl alcohol happens to be a particularly strong molecular solvent.

    I'm not a chemist by profession, so i shouldn't be taken as a authority on the subject. What I'm able to infer as a layman, is that when somebody cleans an acrylic bong or pipe with isopropyl alcohol; is that piece is essentially being broken down into it's constituent parts, little flakes of acrylic when you are then deeply inhaling.

    Not to mention that it would reduce the lifetime of your piece.

    Any opinions, comments, ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

    Yours Truly,
    Sam_Spade
     
  2. it has been said all over many forums not to use alcohol to clean acrylic bongs/pieces...
     
  3. I don't think there would be any flakes, but it certanially could degrade and age/weaken the plastic, and you might end up inhaling more than you bargan for.

    Smoke glass, is all I have to say.
     

  4. Word

    Plastic, blegh
     
  5. hahaha ooops
     
  6. Indeed, if it is, it's escaped my own purview.

    Grasscity should sells these things with a disclaimer or something.

    Good thing I don't own an acrylic.
     
  7. didn't mean to sound so harsh about it. but if you simply look up "how to clean acrylic bong" you'll see that many people say not to use alcohol. some say do. but they are clearly wrong
     

  8. Its a good warning to bring up though. Good thread I say. :hello:
     
  9. Thankya, Lebowski
     
  10. Gotta love glass;)
     
  11. Yea i had an acrylic bong for a while, i tried cleaning it, i put just a smalll amount of alcohol in there and shook it around a bit, it started getting nasty streaks on the inside and it didnt clean it at all. But it already had a huge crack in it so what the hell, fuck acrylic.lol

    Now i own abunch of glass pieces. :smoking:
     
  12. I just realized our Piece Cleaning Sticky Says you can clean acrylic with Iso alcohol, I'm gonna have to let the admins know...
     
  13. #13 MarijuanaLoco, Aug 10, 2008
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 10, 2008
    use dryer sheets for cleaning the bong, freash ones work better imo but leave a slight taste for the first few bowls, but used ones wont leave any taste, ahaha and also im pretty sure i would be alot more scaird to break glass pieces, i would say 99% of the people i know smoke acrylic, including me
     
  14. How do you clean a bong with a dryer sheet?
     
  15. you just take a ball of em n shove it through repeadidly
     
  16. It might not have been news to some, but it was to me. Thanks for the info, Sam.

    Just gives me even more reason not to hit acrylic pieces.
     
  17. Sam_Spade: i salute you, all your posts are intelligent
     
  18. Man I used iso on my Blue Acrylic from when I was young a few times... Glad I went to glass a long time ago...
     
  19. what about soft glass is that that same bc i have no clue haha
     
  20. No, you're good with soft glass.
     

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