Journal:An assessment of heavy metal contaminants related to cannabis-based products in the South African market

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Full article title An assessment of heavy metal contaminants related to cannabis-based products in the South African market
Journal Forensic Science Internationa: Reports
Author(s) Viviers, Hendrik J.; Petzer, Anél; Gordon, Richard
Author affiliation(s) National Analytical Forensic Services, North West University, South African Medical Research Council
Primary contact Email: henrick at nafs dot co dot za
Year published 2021
Volume and issue 4
Article # 100224
DOI 10.1016/j.fsir.2021.100224
ISSN 2665-9107
Distribution license Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
Website https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665910721000554
Download https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665910721000554/pdfft (PDF)

Abstract

South African cannabis-based products that were submitted to a private laboratory for the determination of heavy metals residues were analyzed. The presence of each heavy metal residue was determined in order to establish which residues are most prevalent in samples. Two specifications were considered for both oral as well as inhalation limits: United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) <232>/<233> International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) Q3D. To date, no data of this kind exist in South Africa specifically relating to cannabis-based medicinal, recreational, or complementary products. A total of 310 samples were analyzed in duplicate and are reported in an anonymized format. The submitted samples were divided into different category classifications and grouped according to relevance for oral or inhalation specification. The results showed an alarming 15% sample failure rate, compared to the oral specification limit, and a 44% failure rate, compared to the inhalation specification limit. It is of the utmost importance for manufacturers to have the appropriate quality control regimes in place, especially for heavy metal residues, in South Africa. Furthermore, it is imperative to ensure regulation is enforced and the South African public is educated about the risks associated with using these products.

Keywords: cannabis, heavy metals, regulation, residues, South Africa

Introduction

In the cannabis industry, be it medicinal or recreational, there is an abundance of control measures in place to ensure product safety and efficacy. [3] Contamination of Cannabis plants with toxic heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, lead etc. can result from numerous origins. Sources of contamination include environmental pollution such as emissions from factories and automobiles, contaminated water, some pesticides, and naturally occurring metals in soil and fertilizers [4]. The contamination of the herbal material ultimately leads to contamination of the products during various stages of the manufacturing process. [5], [6]

During growth, metals accumulate in the biomass of specific plants. [7] Studies conducted on industrial hemp show that the Cannabis plant bioaccumulates heavy metals from the soil, and thus is readily employed for phytoremediation of contaminated soils. [8] There have also been reported cases of post-processing adulteration of cannabis buds, adding heavy metals to increase the weight of the product to purposely increase the street value. [4]

Pesticides that contain arsenic and mercury as part of their structures were commonly utilized until a few years ago, and they are still employed in some capacity to date. These toxic substances are likely to be present in many foods due to their abundance in nature, and it is important to note that associated ingestion or inhalation of these cannabis products would add to the accumulation of heavy metals consumed by people, even if best practice guidelines are followed. [3]


References

Notes

This presentation is faithful to the original, with only a few minor changes to presentation. References aren't listed in the order they appear in the original, but they do for this version, by unavoidable design. In some cases important information was missing from the references, and that information was added. A few words were added, updated, or shifted for improved grammar and readability, but this version is otherwise unchanged in compliance with the "NoDerivatives" portion of the original's license.