Cannabis has been shown to have a strong capacity to accumulate heavy metals in its tissues. Indeed, research has been carried out into the possibility of using cannabis cultivation as a way of decontaminating soils with high levels of heavy metals.
Growing cannabis in soils polluted with heavy metals or the use of low-quality fertilisers in cannabis cultivation can result in high levels of these metals in the final product.
The American Herbal Pharmacopoeia sets the following limits for heavy metals:
| Contaminant | Tolerable daily intake in micrograms |
|---|---|
| Arsenic | 10 |
| Cadmium | 4.1 |
| Lead | 6 |
| Mercury | 2.0 |
Fundación CANNA offers a service for analysing the heavy metal residue in plant matter, extracts and oils from products derived from industrial hemp.
The analysis uses ICP-MS to quantify arsenic, lead and cadmium and AA to quantify mercury. We can detect and quantify up to 0.05 mg/kg of arsenic, 0.01 mg/kg of cadmium and lead and 0.1 mg/kg of mercury.
NOTE: This analysis is solely intended for the purposes of information and risk reduction. If you require an official analysis for placing a food product on sale, please contact the relevant ministry or authority in your country to find out where you can have an official analysis of your product made.