Abstract
The accumulation of hazardous contaminants in Cannabis sativa L. raises warning signs regarding possible adverse effects on human health due to the consumption of herbal medicines and/or other herbal edible products made from cannabis. Thus, there is an urge to investigate the levels of hazardous contaminants, such as heavy metals, in cannabis plant. In the present study, 29 macro and trace elements, including both beneficial and toxic elements (heavy metals and metalloids), were investigated in 90 samples of Cannabis sativa L. collected from Greece. According to the results, the detected concentrations of macro elements in the leaves/flowers of cannabis ranged between 28 and 138,378 ppm, and of trace elements between 0.002 and 1352.904 ppm. Although the concentrations of elements varied among the samples, their accumulation pattern was found to be similar, with the contribution of toxic elements to the total concentration of trace elements being below 1%. The detected levels of the most toxic elements were below the prescribed limits established by the WHO, while the calculated THQ and CR values showed no risk (non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic) for the population exposed to the current cannabis samples. Positive correlation between the concentration of elements and cannabis geographical origin and variety was observed. Cannabis leaves/flowers were more contaminated with trace and macro elements than seeds.
Highlights
Cannabis sativa L. is one of the earliest and widely cultivated herbaceous plants
The elements quantified can be divided into two main categories based on their toxicity: macro elements (Mg, Na, K, P, and Ca) and trace elements (B, Al, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Sr, Mo, Ag, Sn, Sb, Ba, Tl, and U), which are mainly essential for the body and for human health, and toxic heavy metals and metalloids (Pb, Cd, Hg, and As) that are trace elements characterized by high toxicity and accused for the cause of severe health effects
The hazard index (HI) values, as a metric of the quantified risk, were below 1, indicating that there is no significant risk of non-carcinogenic effects for the population exposed to the current cannabis samples, and to their products (Supplementary Table S5)
Summary
Cannabis sativa L. is one of the earliest and widely cultivated herbaceous plants. It contains more than 113 cannabinoids, among which cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) are well known for their healing properties and medicinal use (Russo et al, 2007). Apart from its longterm use for the treatment of pain, spasms, asthma, insomnia, depression, and loss of appetite, nowadays, Cannabis sativa L. contributes to the treatment of nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy, spasticity in multiple sclerosis, and anorexia in HIV/AIDS (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), 2016). Cannabis sativa L. finds application in more than 25.000 products globally, including industrial cannabis (hemp) and numerous edible products (Salentijn et al, 2015).
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