This guide covers glass and hardware for use with legal products only, in line with your state's laws. TAG makes no health claims about any material you choose to use, or about how you choose to light it.
For as long as this community has existed, people have argued about hemp wick versus butane lighters. There are two main camps: those who prefer wick and those who like the simplicity of a standard lighter. In this article we look at what the combustion chemistry actually shows, and where the evidence runs out. We are pulling from what science there is on the topic to arrive at the most informed conclusion possible. We make no health claims here, only a look at what burns, and how.
Plenty of thoughtful people report that they prefer wick and feel a subjective difference when they switch away from butane lighters. Whether that reflects a measurable effect is hard to say, in part because of the placebo effect (1). Without direct studies on the subject, we cannot separate perception from mechanism, so the honest starting point is to treat both camps as unproven and look at the chemistry instead.
So what do we know?
Butane
Concern often centers on butane itself, which is toxic in concentrated form (2). When it burns, though, butane combusts into carbon dioxide and water (3). Most of the studies people cite observed the consequences of ingesting large quantities of butane, mostly among people who use it directly as an inhalant (2). Applying those findings to a lighter flame is a false equivalence.
The effects of a large single exposure to a substance are commonly different from the effects of a small exposure over a long period. One example many people recognize is carbon monoxide. A large amount can be lethal, while smaller amounts over time are associated with other effects (4).
It is worth being precise about why the large-exposure data does not transfer. The effects of exposure to a large quantity of a substance are commonly different from the effects of a much smaller amount spread over a long period, which is exactly the situation with a lighter flame. So the studies do not tell us much about occasional lighter use.
The practical questions are how much, if any, butane survives past the flame, and how much is released when the flame goes out while you are still drawing. I have not found a study that answers either directly. Butane has been studied extensively and is highly combustible. In an oxygen-rich environment it is described as undergoing complete combustion (5). As far as I can tell, that does not necessarily mean every molecule combusts, but it contrasts with incomplete combustion, which occurs in oxygen-poor environments and produces carbon monoxide rather than carbon dioxide. The useful takeaway is to light up in a well ventilated area to favor complete combustion. Beyond that, we do not know whether any butane survives the flame, and if some does, it is in a much smaller concentration than in any study on butane exposure to date.
Wick
When you ask people why they prefer wick, a common answer is that it is natural. Whether something is natural does not tell you much about its combustion products. Plenty of natural compounds are not benign.
Unlike butane, which is a single chemical that burns into carbon dioxide and water, wick is made of many different compounds and does not combust as simply. We do not have direct measurements of wick used this way, but there are studies of candles, which are chemically similar. Combusting wick produces carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitric oxide, and other particulates (6, 9). Those larger particles are part of the fumes. As noted above, small, infrequent carbon monoxide exposure has also been studied (4, 7). Burning material that contains nitrogen produces additional byproducts as well (7, 8, 9). Some of this may differ with beeswax-coated wick (8), but that specific use has not been studied. In short, this is an area where the measurements do not yet exist, and absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. It simply means more research is needed for a definitive answer.
One difference we can measure is temperature. Wick generally burns somewhere between 1500 and 1800F (10), while a butane lighter burns nearly twice as hot, around 3500F (11). Higher temperatures mean more energy available to make and break bonds during combustion, which could change the composition of what is produced. Again, this is not something we currently have data on. More research is necessary.
Can we make an informed decision today?
Probably not with confidence. We lack the studies needed to settle the hemp wick versus lighter question. That leaves us in an odd spot, more access to information than ever, and still no clear answer. The reasonable move is to be mindful of the combustion products of each.
So what should you do?
Use whichever you prefer. If you like one better, use it. Just recognize that there is no confident answer yet, and we are not making a health claim either way. As a practical matter, it makes sense to minimize inhaling fumes from either source. When using a lighter, minimize releasing butane without a flame. When using wick, the same logic applies to wick fumes. That also means roasting the bowl for those last few draws is worth avoiding with either method. Whatever you light up with, do what you enjoy.
References
- What is the placebo effect?
- https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/what-is-the-placebo-effect#1
- Butane: Acute Exposure Guideline Levels
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK201460/
- Butane combustion
- http://www.physics-chemistry-class.com/chemistry/combustion-butane.html
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- https://oem.bmj.com/content/59/10/708
- Complete vs incomplete combustion
- http://lchs.lpsd.ca/eteacher_download/2112/34962
- Chemical composition and mass emission factors of candle smoke particles
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaerosci.2008.10.005
- Role of carbon monoxide in impaired endothelial function mediated by acute second-hand tobacco, incense, and candle smoke exposures
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1382668911000342
- Characteristics of emissions of air pollutants from mosquito coils and candles burning in a large environmental chamber
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1352231005011416
- Emission of air pollutants from burning candles with different composition in indoor environments
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11356-013-2394-2
- How hot is a candle flame?
- http://askascientist.co.uk/physics/how-hot-is-a-candle-flame/
- What temperature do lighters burn at?
- https://sciencing.com/temperatures-do-lighters-burn-8475271.html