Ask the Mad Vaper... What does USP mean?

[Walrus]

WHAT DOES USP MEAN?

The abbreviation USP stands for United States Pharmacopeia, a document first published in 1820 by the Medical Society of New York State. Recognized as official by Congress in 1848, this document was used as a standard reference by physicians for prescribing medicines.

Today, the USP includes chemical descriptions, identifying tests, and purity tests, primarily for active ingredients. All materials listed in the USP are considered drugs by law and subject to all the U.S. Food & Drug Administration requirements pertaining to drugs. Labeling a product or a substance as USP implies that it conforms to all the legal requirements of the FDA and that it was produced in accordance with the principles outlined in FDA’s Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). A new edition of the USP is published every five years in the years ending in "0" and "5," with ongoing revisions and additions issued during the interim years.

Many other nations also have compiled an official national pharmacopeia, similar in scope and content to the USP. Currently, there is a collaborative international program to harmonize the glycerin monographs in the USP and in the European Pharmacopeia, which may later be expanded to include other nations.

[ritalee76]

Good to know I had no idea..

However, I have the "food-grade" VG from Hobby Lobby (Wilton brand) as well as the USP glycerin - the USP was purchased for cosmetic purposes and I didn't even realize I had it until the other day when I was digging under my sink LOL

The Wilton brand has a faint sweet smell to it while the other kind has a more ... acrid smell...

Have not tried vaping it. I'm a wuss. Plus, I have the Wilton here

[Terraphon]

I might stay away from the other stuff...If it's acrid it may have turned.

lungs = good.

[~kerri]

I second Terraphon on not vaping the acrid stuff.

Something else to think about when buying supplies; the big difference between food grade usp and just usp is the vessels the stuff has been stored in and how it has been handled. (and with what-gloved hands? iron implements?...)
If the liquid is stored in non-ingestion safe materials that may leech into it, i for one would not knowingly want to vape it.
when in doubt I Always go for supplies marked food grade, safe to ingest, or I ask for clarification from the mfg. co.before doing so.
Not trying to stir up alarm but I lean towards the well researched decision and I had not yet seen this point addressed.

[Walrus]

I'm going to close this thread as I'm about to post a more comprehensive one...

Ask the Mad Vaper... USP... Food Grade... All you wanted to know about Glycerine and grades but were afraid to ask.