Global impact of trace non-essential heavy metal contaminants in industrial cannabis bioeconomy

Bengyella, Louis; Kuddus, Mohammed; Mukherjee, Piyali; Fonmboh, Dobgima John; Kaminski, John E.

doi:10.1080/15569543.2021.1992444

Cited by 15 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Elevated levels of copper, lead, and zinc in the body can lead to neurodegenerative diseases . Consuming cannabis through combustion (smoking) poses the greatest risk to human health as studies have shown cannabis smoke to contain all of the mentioned heavy metals as well as selenium. , …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elemental Composition of Commercially Available Cannabis Rolling Papers

Wright,

Jarvie,

Southwell

et al. 2024

ACS Omega

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With the recent legalization of cannabis in multiple jurisdictions and widespread use as a medical treatment, there has been an increased focus on product safety and the potential impacts of contaminants on human health. One factor that has received little attention is the possible exposure to potentially hazardous levels of toxic elements from rolling (smoking) papers. The elemental composition of rolling papers is largely unregulated, with a minority of jurisdictions regulating papers only when they are part of a final cannabis product. This study reports the concentrations of 26 elements in commercially available rolling papers and estimates potential maximum exposures relative to USP232 and ICH Q3D dosages in pharmaceutical compounds. Exposure estimates indicate that the concentrations of several elements in some products, particularly Cu, Cr, and V, may present a potential hazard to frequent users. Several elements, including Ag, Ca, Ba, Cu, Ti, Cr, Sb, and possibly others, are likely present in elevated quantities in some papers due to product design and manufacturing processes. Our results further suggest that Cu-based pigments are used by a number of manufacturers and that regular use of these products might result in exposures as high as 4.5−11 times the maximum exposure limits. Further research to quantify the contribution of rolling papers to elemental exposure under realistic smoking conditions is warranted.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elemental Composition of Commercially Available Cannabis Rolling Papers

Wright,

Jarvie,

Southwell

et al. 2024

ACS Omega

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“…For example, it is commonly believed that flushing fertilizer nutrients from the rootzone during the final pre-harvest growth phase can enhance quality of marketable tissues (e.g., mature, unfertilized female inflorescences) (Caplan et al, 2022) [ 15 ]. Furthermore, some cannabis genotypes have been shown to hyper-accumulate both nutrient (e.g., Cu and Zn) and non-nutrient (e.g., Pb and Cd) heavy metals in inflorescence tissues (Angelova et al, 2004; Bengyella et al, 2022; Seleiman et al, 2012) [ 16 , 17 , 18 ]. Since heavy metals can be toxic to humans, the concentrations of heavy metals in marketed cannabis tissues are strictly controlled under most government regulations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Foliar Symptomology, Nutrient Content, Yield, and Secondary Metabolite Variability of Cannabis Grown Hydroponically with Different Single-Element Nutrient Deficiencies

Llewellyn

Golem²,

Jones

et al. 2023

Plants

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In controlled environment production systems, Cannabis sativa (hereafter cannabis) is a commodity with high nutrient demands due to prolific growth under optimized environmental conditions. Since nutrient deficiencies can reduce yield and quality, cultivators need tools to rapidly detect and evaluate deficiency symptoms so corrective actions can be taken quickly to minimize losses. We grew cannabis plants in solution culture with different individual nutrient elements withheld from the solutions to identify deficiency symptoms. Control plants received a complete nutrient recipe, whereas the following single elements were withheld from the respective nutrient deficiency treatments: N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, and Mn. The nutrient treatments began when the photoperiod was switched to a 12/12 h (light/dark), and plants were grown to commercial maturity. Plants were monitored daily, and the development of visual deficiency symptoms were recorded. Photographs of each plant were taken weekly. Upon the onset of visual deficiency symptoms, both upper- and lower-canopy foliage were analyzed for nutrient element concentrations. At harvest, plants were evaluated for biomass partitioning, and the cannabinoid composition of inflorescence tissues. This manuscript describes the onset and progression of nutrient deficiency symptoms (with pictures), relates symptomology to foliar nutrient analyses, and contextualizes the relationships between nutrient deficiencies and cannabis growth, yield, and quality. Aboveground vegetative fresh weights were reduced by 73% in the -N treatment and 59% in the -P treatment, compared with the control. All deficiency treatments except for -Fe and -Mn had floral yields reduced by between 33% to 72%, compared with the control. Overall, deficiencies of individual nutrients can substantially reduce vegetative growth and inflorescence yield, although only minor effects were observed in secondary metabolite composition. The onset of individual deficiency symptoms did not always correspond with elemental analysis of foliar tissues. Cultivators should take an integrated approach in diagnosing nutrient deficiencies and take timely corrective actions to optimize productivity and minimize losses to yield and quality.

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“…It is primarily the toxicity of certain metals and metalloids, such as arsenic and lead, that make elemental investigations of cannabis varieties an area of paramount importance, but also a number of other important considerations such as the characterization or association of a particular cannabis sample with its origin area, and the help of law-enforcing agencies of countries that prohibit the plant to trace the source of the drug [ 6 , 7 ]. Cannabis-containing toxic metals and metalloids that are consumed in combustive form can be of a great health danger as this toxicity in the human body takes place via the production of reactive oxygen species and free radicals, which can damage enzymes, proteins, lipids and nucleic acids, and cause cancer and neurological issues [ 8 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trace Metals in Cannabis Seized by Law Enforcement in Ghana and Multivariate Analysis to Distinguish among Different Cannabis Farms

Douvris

Bentil

Ayensu

et al. 2022

Toxics

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For hundreds of years, cannabis has been one of the most known cultivated plants due to its variety of uses, which include as a psychoactive drug, as well as for medicinal activity. Although prohibiting cannabis products, the countries of the African continent are the largest producers of cannabis in the world; a fact that makes the trafficking of cannabis-based illicit drugs a high priority for local law enforcement authorities. The latter are exceedingly interested in the use of chemical analyses for facilitating quantification, identification, and tracing of the origin of seized cannabis samples. Targeting these goals, and focusing on the country of Ghana, the present study used inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for the determination of 12 elements (Pb, Cu, Ca, Mg, Mn, Zn, Cd, As, Hg, Fe, Na, and K) in cannabis seized by Ghana’s law enforcement authorities and soils of cannabis farms. Furthermore, multivariate analysis was applied to distinguish among different cannabis farms and match them with the samples. As a result, 22 seized cannabis samples and 12 other cannabis samples with their respective soils were analyzed to reveal considerable As and Pb concentrations. As and Pb levels in cannabis were found up to 242 ppb for As and 854 ppb for Pb. Multivariate analysis was applied for separating different cannabis farms and seized samples based on elemental analysis, evidently linking the seized samples with two Ghana regions.

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Global impact of trace non-essential heavy metal contaminants in industrial cannabis bioeconomy

Cited by 15 publications

References 52 publications

Elemental Composition of Commercially Available Cannabis Rolling Papers

Elemental Composition of Commercially Available Cannabis Rolling Papers

Foliar Symptomology, Nutrient Content, Yield, and Secondary Metabolite Variability of Cannabis Grown Hydroponically with Different Single-Element Nutrient Deficiencies

Trace Metals in Cannabis Seized by Law Enforcement in Ghana and Multivariate Analysis to Distinguish among Different Cannabis Farms

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