Heavy Metal Contaminants in Cannabis Products
Project Overview
This project is a partnership between researchers at the University of Colorado and Kaycha Laboratories, a leading cannabis testing laboratory. The goal of the study is to evaluate adverse health effects of smoking or vaping cannabis that has been contaminated by heavy metals.
It has been established that cannabis plants absorb metals from soil, irrigation water, fertilizers, and pesticides. These metals are associated with adverse health effects even at low to moderate levels of ingestion and inhalation. Cannabis plants and their end-products are not regulated by the FDA for impurities, but are subjected to some state-level regulations for lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury. This research will quantify the exposure and risk posed by 21 heavy metals, which will help inform future federal guidelines regarding testing, manufacturing, and growing practices around cannabis.
Affiliate Research Team
Mike Van Dyke, PhD, CIH (PI)
Associate Professor
University of Colorado – Anschutz Medical Campus
Achievements
Funding: This research was supported by the Institute of Cannabis Research at Colorado State University Pueblo (ICR) under award number ICR-FY23-VanDyke. This content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the ICR.