HEAVY METALS IN CANNABIS
Cannabis plants have the ability to naturally “clean” soils by pulling contaminants directly from around it – a process known as phytoremediation. Cannabis’ abilities have been tested and proven at clean-up sites such as Chernobyl where the plants accumulated heavy metals from the soil. Unfortunately, this also means that Cannabis intended for consumption has these same abilities to gather and hold-on to contaminants in soil. Cannabis and hemp avidly accumulates trace elements from the growing medium, soil, fertilizers, and even the metallic equipment used during the preparation and processing of the various concentrates and oils.
At AgriScience Labs, we employ inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to detect trace levels of the “Big 4” (arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead) heavy metals in cannabis.
Inhaled Product or Audited Product: administration by metered dose nasal spray
(flower, concentrates, anything intended to be inhaled)
| Substance | Action Limit (ppm, µg/g) |
| Arsenic | 0.2 |
| Cadmium | 0.2 |
| Mercury | 0.1 |
| Lead | 0.5 |
Topical and/or Transdermal Products
(lotions, salves, lip balms, patches, anything intended to be used on the skin)
| Substance | Action Limit (ppm, µg/g) |
| Arsenic | 3 |
| Cadmium | 3 |
| Mercury | 1 |
| Lead | 10 |
Oral Consumption or Audited Products
(Edibles, tinctures, anything intended to be consumed or eaten)
| Substance | Action Limit (ppm, µg/g) |
| Arsenic | 1.5 |
| Cadmium | 0.5 |
| Mercury | 1.5 |
| Lead | 1 |
Experiencing metals fails but don’t know where they’re coming from? Ask us about metals testing of all the other components of your operation. We gladly test water, soil, nutrients, pre-roll papers, and more.
Test with us now. Contact us to arrange testing: Contact Us
Learn more about measuring heavy metals in cannabis: Learn More