Heavy metals are defined as elemental compounds, which have a relatively high density compared to water. They are usually toxic or poisonous, at low concentrations. Many of them, are naturally found in soil such as;
- Lead
- Copper
- Arsenic
- Cadmium
- Zinc
- Mercury
- Chromium
- Nickel
Due to these compounds being found in the environment, they are quite often a concern for farming and food producers or food supplement producers. Plants are able to draw up heavy metals from the soil, into their leaves, in a process called bio-accumulation. Normally, at the naturally occurring levels, they may not pose a threat to human life but contamination can occur at any time. This can then, sometimes take the heavy metal levels up to unsafe quantities. Contamination can occur from many factors, such as industrial waste, fertilisers, sewage, pesticides and waste-water. Sometimes, if farmers are able to catch the contamination, they are able to treat the water and prevent.
Cannabis plants are bio-accumulators, which means that they accumulate much higher levels of heavy metals. This is largely due to their roots extending up to 8 feet into the ground and drawing up the contaminants into the plant tissues. The heavy metals then build up within the leaves and flowers, meaning that there is a chance that the end product of CBD oil could be contaminated. It is even possible that they could be present in unsafe levels in the CBD oil.
Heavy metals can then become toxic when they accumulate in human blood over a specific concentration. The body, usually the liver, is only able to get rid of a small amount of heavy metal form the blood at any one time, so when you are repeatedly exposed to them, it can be dangerous.
The short-term effects of heavy metal build up, can include headaches, tiredness, weakness, aches and constipation. Long term effects can be much more severe including heart problems, memory loss, anaemia, and liver or kidney problems.
This is just one of the reasons why lab testing is so important for CBD products. As with any natural product, there are risks of unknown contaminants and 3rd Party Lab Testing can ensure that there are no unsafe amounts of heavy metals within the CBD product.