Researchers at the University of California, Merced, have identified a profoundly hazardous byproduct arising under common vaping conditions: cannabidiol (CBD) can be oxidized into cannabidiol hydroxyquinone, known as CBD-Q—a potent chemical shown to destroy human tissue.
This revelation comes from a recent study conducted under the leadership of Professor Ryan Baxter (Chair, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry), along with Professors Kara McCloskey and Roberto Andresen Eguiluz of the Health Sciences Research Institute. They investigated the safety of components within commercially available vape cartridges and uncovered how typical vaping environments—or even certain storage conditions—can lead to the degradation of CBD into the toxic CBD-Q compound.
“Under certain conditions, cannabinoids metabolize into really toxic by-products,” explained Professor Baxter. The study elucidates both the mechanisms driving this transformation and potential paths toward intervention. Researchers are exploring the possibility of crafting additive agents that could inhibit the formation of CBD-Q and thereby offer a measure of protection for lung tissues.
Notably, although the research demonstrates the tissue-killing potential of CBD-Q, experimental cell-based investigations to unravel how human cells metabolize CBD and how exactly CBD-Q causes damage have yet to be conducted. These will be the focus of future studies.
The findings of this groundbreaking study are detailed in a paper published in Chemical Research in Toxicology, a journal of the American Chemical Society.
