If you are a cannabis user, you are probably already acquainted with the effectiveness of a glass bong or a dab rig. You can hardly imagine enjoying your smoke session without the magnificent invention, and rightly so.

According to a number of studies, water filtration is necessary for protecting our overall health as we engage in smoking, especially cannabis smoking. It helps clean the smoke by removing the harmful compounds. Who knew water filtration could be that important?

However, few people tend to change dirty bong water, and even fewer know the health effects of such negligence. Of course, dirty bong water together with a dirty bong can compromise the taste of your cannabis herb or other herbs, hence ruining your smoking session and experience.

Below we take a look at what happens when you refuse to clean your water bongs or dab rigs and change your bong water.

The Dangers of Dirty Bong Water

Dirty bong water that remains unchanged for some time can be likened to stagnant water. Stagnant water can be defined in a number of ways. However, it generally means water that sits in a single solitary place and does not flow accordingly. Hence, the reason stagnant water is also known as standing water.

Such water is the perfect breeding ground for parasites, bacteria, insects and even mold. That said, a dirty bong is not just holding dirty water, it is also holding stagnant water.

Notably, a dirty bong containing dirty bong water provides the perfect conditions for bacteria to thrive. Such conditions include:

• Water or a moist environment
• Nutrients provided by leftover plant resins of the smoked herb
• Surface area for growth

Such conditions allow the growth of harmful pathogens that are known to lead to the development of respiratory diseases. It is important to note, that it does not take a long time for these pathogens to infiltrate your glass bong and grow. After a day of not cleaning out your dirty bong water, what is known as biofilm tends to develop at the surface of the water.

A biofilm is essentially the evidence of the microscopic organisms thriving in your bong water. These microbes or microscopic organisms include bacteria, fungi, and viruses as previously mentioned. Notably, microbes that eventually grow to form biofilm tend to be more difficult to treat.

Whilst smoking using dirty bong water, you’re essentially introducing these difficult- to - treat pathogens directly to your lungs. Essentially, a dirty microbe is not just a nuisance, it’s a health risk. Research states that at least 80% of diseases that affect vital body organs are caused by microbes that grow from a biofilm.

How Ofter Should I Change the Bong Water?

Given the fact that it only takes a little under 24 hours for a biofilm to form on stagnant water, one should also change bong water just as regularly. In other words, one should change their bong water on a daily basis. This helps ensure that you’ve gotten rid of whatever pathogens that had started to grow in your bong water.

A glass bong or dab rig, due to the water filtration system, helps protect your harmful residue contained in the smoke. However, by not cleaning your glass water pipe or using clean bong water, you’ll be doing yourself more harm than good. The cleaning process is simple and only takes a few minutes.