Lab Results Explained - Heavy Metals & Pesticides
CBD Lab Results Explained – Part 2, Heavy Metals & Pesticides
Heavy metals & pesticide contamination in CBD products is a difficult topic to tackle.
Due to the fact that hemp is so new to federal legalization, there is not yet any federal guidance on the limits for heavy metals or common pesticides in CBD products.
That leads to a challenging situation for the end consumer because states can have different regulations and testing requirements…if they have any at all!
As of right now, the only testing required by the USDA is THC potency to verify the product is below the legal limit of 0.3% THC by weight. You can verify whether or not a CBD product is contaminated with THC in excess of the federal limit by the lab testing results available for most quality products - but even those quality products aren’t currently required to verify other contaminant sources.
Unfortunately what that means is heavy metal or pesticide test results will not always be available for the products that you want to try. This is an area of serious concern, especially for the immunocompromised and seniors trying CBD for health benefits - the last thing you want in your CBD oil is a contaminant that can damage fragile body tissues and make you feel worse in the long run!
That being said, some CBD products are more likely to have heavy metals & pesticide testing, like those made with craft hemp flower as we use in our hemp-butter caramels - and if so they should be readily available along with the potency results we discussed in the previous article.
We’ve covered how to find and interpret the third party lab results for the CBD product you have in mind in regards to the potency of the cannabinoids (CBD and THC). Reviewing your hemp pesticide and heavy metal results is even easier, as there’s no math needed!
Let’s focus mainly on heavy metals for this discussion - you’ll often see a heavy metal analysis summary similar to the example shown below:
Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd), Lead (Pb), and Mercury (Hg) are the primary heavy metals tested for - however, as regulations continue to develop, this list is likely to grow.
Common Heavy Metal Contaminants & bodily tissues they negatively impact - click to enlarge
There are about 15 heavy metals known to be environmental contaminants from industrial activities and pesticide usage, and it’s likely these will have testing requirements and limits associated with them in the not too distant future.
As with the potency results we previously discussed, this summary will be followed somewhere in the report by a full analysis breakdown - similar to that shown below.
Now, given the state of these regulations (or lack thereof) the question becomes “what do these results mean to me and my health, and how do I use them to educate my choice on what to consume?”
Fortunately there has been some work done to help us there. The state of California has stepped up to lead this charge, and they have established state wide limits for metals in products available in their medical and recreational cannabis products.
Among states that do have heavy metal regulations California has the most stringent limits, so when you’re looking for a good reference point on “safe” levels of these metals in your CBD products I would look to the table below:
You’ll notice that the allowable levels for heavy metals in inhalable products is typically significantly lower than other product types like edibles, topicals and tinctures. This is to protect the health of our delicate lungs, which cannot filter out and neutralize contaminants in CBD products as effectively as our liver, thus making the impact of inhaled contaminants much more dangerous.
These same principles can then be applied to pesticide tests available, which should display common pesticides used in argiculture that might affect the starting hemp material and be concentrated down in the process of making some CBD processes, leading to dangerous levels in the final product you consume.
Review pesticide results carefully and research more to learn about the allowable safe levels for any pesticides you notice reported.
The CBD industry is growing at a very rapid rate, and that rate is causing some growing pains.
Product development in the CBD industry is occurring faster than regulation development, which has some unfortunate real consequences for products available today - a report from 2019 found that 70% of CBD products tested were contaminated with heavy metals or pesticides!
Common sources of heavy metal contamination, via Researchgate
As much as most people don’t want the federal government telling them what they can and can’t do, the development of health regulations and the proper scientific institutions to support them moves our industry in a safer direction for the end consumer.
The goal of quality CBD and hemp products is ultimately to help people enhance their quality of life and improve their wellness and in order to do that, we need science to help us continue to grow our understanding of the chemistry behind these products and how we can best use them to improve our lives.
Your interest in these lab results is a step in that direction, so thank you for being curious, thank you for asking questions, and thank you for taking the time to seek out the best products available in the CBD market!
So what else should you look for in your CBD products to predict their effects and safety?
One buzzword that’s gaining attention in the CBD and craft hemp product sphere is “terpenes” - but what are terpenes?
Are terpenes a contaminant in CBD & hemp products, or are they actually a potential benefit for more nuanced effects from CBD?
For more info on terpenes in CBD products, read on for the third installment in this “CBD Testing Explained” series, “Terpene Results in Hemp”!
For a visual guide on how to interpret complete purity & potency in your CBD edibles, see our lab results page for a video tutorial from our founder!
Resources:
https://www.intechopen.com/books/heavy-metals/environmental-contamination-by-heavy-metals
East Fork Cultivars Oregon Guava Lab Results from Columbia Laboratories