By Steven Voser


Bongs are a staple piece of equipment among cannabis lovers, and it’s not hard to see why. The water inside, and the design that allows for it, helps to make hits smooth by cooling down the smoke and filtering out tar and ash that would otherwise get in your airways.

Once in a while, though, you’ll need to get up and replace the water in your bong. Why is that? Doesn’t the water keep doing its job regardless? Well, as we’ll explain in detail later, regular replacement is key if you want to get the most out of your bong water.

What's the Point of Bong Water

Bongs come in all shapes and sizes, but regardless of what they look like (or how much they cost you), all bongs have one thing in common. That, of course, is the fact that they have at least one large chamber dedicated to water.

And, besides creating that reassuring bubbling sound that lets you know your bong’s working, the water that you use to fill the chamber(s) of your bong plays two very important roles.

First and foremost, the water in your bong works as a filter. When we combust cannabis, we actually change the chemical composition of the plant, turning THCA (a non-intoxicating acid) into THC, the cannabinoid that gets us high. However, the act of combustion also creates hundreds of secondary toxic and carcinogenic compounds that are often grouped together and simply called “tar”.

For example, studies[1] show that cannabis smoke is qualitatively very similar to tobacco smoke, both being particularly rich in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (naturally present in coal, crude oil, and gasoline), which are infamous for their carcinogenic and mutagenic properties.

Bong water helps to trap at least some of these compounds from the smoke, as well as filter out any ash or plant material before it reaches your mouth and airways. Is it a perfect filter? No—but it does the job well enough to make it cleaner than other smoking methods in the long run.

Second, the water in your bong also cools the smoke before it hits your mouth, making for a smoother hit that’s less irritating on the lungs.

How Does Bong Water Filter Smoke?

So, considering it just sits at the bottom of your piece, how exactly does bong water filter smoke? To figure this out, studies have explored the difference in chemical composition between regular tobacco smoke and tobacco smoked from a water pipe, and the results are very promising.

Studies[2] dating back to the 1960s, for example, show that the water in a water pipe works as a very effective filter, trapping up to 90% of phenols (which are cardiovascular toxins, act as tumour co-promoters, and show genotoxic activity), as well as up to 50% of particulate matter and benzo(a)pyrene (a highly carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon).

Other studies have also compared the carcinogenic properties[3] of bong water to that of water-filtered smoke. The results from this research found that the water left in a bong was far richer in carcinogens than the smoke that it filtered.

More recently, researchers from the University of Texas and the Harvard School of Public Health conducted cellular toxicity tests[4] on both cannabis and tobacco smoke.

They found that filtering both types of smoke through water helped remove acrolein and acetaldehyde, two toxins that attack alveolar macrophages, one of the main defence cells of the lung. When exposed to unfiltered tobacco or cannabis smoke, the ability of these cells to kill bacteria was strongly impaired.

How Does Bong Water Filter Smoke?

Does Bong Water Filter Out THC?

So, there’s solid research to show how bong water filters out toxins from cannabis smoke. But, the fact that water makes for such an efficient filter also raises one very important question; can the water from your bong also filter out cannabinoids (like THC and CBD) and terpenes?

The short answer is yes. Just how many cannabinoids or terpenes your bong water filters, however, is negligible compared to its ability to filter toxins and irritating particles (like ash and plant matter). That’s because most of the active cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids in cannabis smoke aren’t water-soluble (which is also why, for example, dunking cannabis buds in tea won’t get you high).

Studies have shown, however, that between 20–40% of the THC in cannabis smoke can bind to the glass[5] in your bong, with even more getting lost if your bong is plastic. To fix that problem, however, just shop around for glassware that has been silyl-treated and doesn’t contain any rubber or plastic components.

What is arguably more concerning than THC trapped in your bong water, though, is how compounds in your water might alter the smoke passing through it. If you use highly chlorinated tap water in your bong, for example, the chlorine will carry into the smoke.

Will Drinking Bong Water Get You High?

So, since THC gets absorbed into it, could you get high by drinking bong water?

No. Please don’t let your friend (or whoever else gave you this brilliant idea) trick you into drinking bong water.

Cannabinoids, as we mentioned earlier, aren’t water-soluble. If you want to get high from eating or drinking cannabis, you need to heat and mix it with some kind of fat. If you really want to drink your own cannabis, consider mixing some cannabutter or oil with honey and use it to sweeten your warm drink of choice, or use cannabis-infused chocolate to make yourself a hot chocolate!

The Benefits of Changing Bong Water Regularly

So, to break things down clearly, these are the main benefits of changing your bong water on a regular basis:

  • Better flavour: Tar, resin, and ash trapped in your bong or bong water have a massive impact on the flavour of your weed. If you want to preserve the flavours of your kush, make sure you clean your bong water regularly and fill it with natural spring water.
  • Better filtration: Clean water is more effective at filtering toxins and irritating compounds (like ash and leftover plant matter) from smoke. Make sure to change your bong water regularly to enjoy the best filtration from your bong.
  • Longer-lasting glassware: Bongs and glass pipes simply last longer when they’re properly cared for. Cleaning your bong regularly per the instructions below will help keep your glassware free of stains and imperfections for as long as possible.
The Benefits of Changing Bong Water Regularly

How Often Should You Change Your Bong Water?

How often you change your bong water or clean your bong comes down to personal preference. But, ultimately, the more often you do so, the better.

At RQS, we’re keen on preserving the flavour of our weed and having the best smoking experience possible. Hence, we recommend you clean your bong before each use, and make a point to change your bong water for each session.

How To Tell if Your Bong Water Needs Changing

Here are a few tips to help you spot when your bong might be in need of a clean or fresh water:

Foul Odour
If your bong reeks, that’s a telltale sign it’s in need of a clean and a change of water. If your bong smells off, make sure to give it a deep clean with detergent or saltwater and sterilise it with alcohol.
Brown Water
Brown bong water is another sign that it’s time to clean your piece. The resin and tar present in cannabis smoke will, over time, stain the water in your bong, as well as the glass. Regularly cleaning your bong can help your glassware look its best for longer.
Resin Buildup
No matter what people tell you, don’t get tricked into scraping resin off your bong and packing it into a bowl. If you notice brown or black resin building up around any part of your bong, it’s time to give it a clean.
Mould
This is pretty obvious, but if your bong has trapped mould, give it a solid clean and sterilise it before your next session. Stagnant water provides a breeding ground for fungi and bad bacteria that should be nowhere near your mouth or lungs.

Can Bong Water Make You Sick?

If it gets dirty enough, can bong water make you sick? As it turns out, yes. As we saw earlier, the water in your bong serves as a filter that traps toxins, ash, and tar. Drinking it would be like eating the filter tip of a cigarette, and would likely make you very, very sick.

Is Bong Water Good for Plants?

You still may not want to waste the water, however, and may be wondering whether you could give it to your plants. Again, it helps to think of the water in your bong like the filter tip of a cigarette; just like cigarette butts have no place in your garden, nor does bong water. Unfortunately, there is no real practical use for bong water other than flushing it down the drain.

How To Keep Your Bong Clean

Cleaning and preparing your bong isn’t rocket science. For best results, simply dismantle your bong and soak all of its components in warm, soapy water for about 15 minutes. Next, use a soft brush to scrub the glassware and bowl. Finally, rinse all parts of your bong under warm water to remove any of the soap, and let them dry separately before you reassemble your piece. Fill it with water before your next session, and voilà!

External Resources:
  1. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Mainstream Smoke of Popular U.S. Cigarettes https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  2. Comparison of the yields of several selected components in the smoke from different tobacco products https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  3. UKCIA Research Library https://www.ukcia.org
  4. Marijuana and tobacco smoke gas-phase cytotoxins - ScienceDirect https://www.sciencedirect.com
  5. DEFINE_ME https://jpharmsci.org
Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: