What is Vaporization?
Vaporization, also known as volatization, is a process by which the active elements of a substance are released through the application of heat without combustion. In other words, the substance is heated, but never burned.
This is an important distinction because when a substance is burned it becomes denatured. Denaturing means that a chemical change takes place and the molecular structure of the substance is actually modified. When denaturing is catalyzed by excessive heat this is known as pyrolysis. Pyrolysis is a major drawback to smoking a material.
When pyrolysis occurs, a molecular breakdown creates new elements that had not been present in the source material prior to combustion. The obvious example is, of course, tobacco. When smoking a cigarette, you seek the effects of tobacco's active element, nicotine. Through the process of smoking, however, you receive not only nicotine, but a handful of toxins and irritants, such as smoke and tar, which have been created by pyrolysis.
In contrast, because vaporization typically requires a temperature lower than a substance's combustion point, pyrolysis never takes place and the substance is never denatured. In other words, vaporization releases the active elements of a substance through a method by which pyrolysis cannot take place. Therefore, it produces a pure aerosol mist comprised only of elements naturally occurring in the source material.
What are the benefits of Vaporization?
Vaporization produces no combustion byproducts such as Carbon Monoxide, Tar or other harmful elements which are prime suspects in cigarette-related Cancers. Vapor is also considerably cooler than smoke and less likely to damage sensitive lung and throat tissue. Users who are concerned about the respiratory hazards of smoking are strongly advised to use vaporizers.