Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. About 1.8 million people died of it in 2022, roughly one in five cancer deaths (IARC, GLOBOCAN 2022). In the EU, lung cancer accounts for 19.8% of all cancer deaths (Eurostat, 2022). Smoking is the main cause: about 80% of lung cancer deaths in the US are linked to cigarette smoking (CDC), and 72% of lung cancer cases in the UK are attributed to smoking (Cancer Research UK).
So when people ask what a vaporizer changes, the honest answer starts with one word: burning.
Burning versus heating
Smoke is what you get when plant material burns. A flame turns it into hot smoke and ash, and burning creates by-products that were never in the plant to begin with. A vaporizer works differently. It heats the material with hot air to a set temperature, below the point where it burns. There is no flame, no ash and no combustion smoke. That is the idea behind every Storz & Bickel device: controlled heating instead of combustion.
What studies have found
- A 2004 laboratory study of the Volcano vaporizer found that the vapour consisted mostly of the active compounds with traces of only a few other substances, while smoke contained more than 100 different compounds, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (Gieringer et al., 2004).
- In a small clinical pilot study at UCSF (18 people, 2007), carbon monoxide hardly rose when participants used a vaporizer, but rose clearly when they smoked (Abrams et al., 2007).
What these studies do not show
They are small, mostly old (2004 to 2010), and they measure what is in the vapour, not long-term health. A 2008 laboratory study also found that at some temperature settings the balance between active compounds and by-products is less favourable. Health authorities are clear that inhaling vapour is not risk-free: the WHO calls e-cigarettes harmful and not safe, and both the German BfR and the NHS describe e-cigarettes as not free of risk, while noting they are far less harmful than cigarettes. Long-term data on herb vaporizers is missing.
What this means for you
We will not tell you a vaporizer is safe or healthy. What we can tell you is what changes: nothing burns. If you smoke tobacco, the most effective step for your health is to quit, and your doctor or pharmacist can help. If you use dried herbs and want to avoid combustion, a vaporizer is how it is done. Our week-one guide shows what to expect, and you can browse the Storz & Bickel range whenever you are ready.
Sources
- Bray et al., GLOBOCAN 2022, CA Cancer J Clin 2024: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38572751
- Eurostat, cancer statistics (specific cancers): ec.europa.eu/eurostat
- CDC, lung cancer risk factors: cdc.gov/lung-cancer/risk-factors
- Cancer Research UK, lung cancer risk factors: cancerresearchuk.org
- Gieringer et al., 2004, Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics: summary by NORML/MAPS
- Abrams et al., 2007, Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics: UCSF news
- Bloor et al., 2008, Inhalation Toxicology: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19852551
- WHO, tobacco fact sheet: who.int
For adults only. This article is general information, not medical advice.