summary: Researchers found significantly higher levels of metals such as lead and cadmium in the blood and urine of marijuana users. The study, the largest of its kind, analyzed data from more than 7,000 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Although it had been hypothesized that cannabis could contribute to metal exposure due to its ability to remove metals from the soil, this study suggests that marijuana use may actually lead to an underestimation of such exposure. This confirms that it is a source of recognition. The findings call for further research on cannabis use and contaminants, especially as cannabis legalization continues to expand in the United States.
Important facts:
- Marijuana users were found to have higher blood lead concentrations (1.27 ug/dL) and urinary lead concentrations (1.21 ug/g creatinine) compared to non-users.
- This study is the first to measure biomarker metal levels in marijuana users, making it one of the largest and most comprehensive studies on the subject to date.
- More than half of the U.S. population lives in areas where marijuana is legal, and the study raises concerns about the lack of federal guidelines on cannabis contaminants as marijuana use becomes more common.
sauce: columbia university
A study conducted at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health found significant levels of the metal in the blood and urine of marijuana users, making marijuana an important but under-recognized source of exposure to lead and cadmium. We conclude that it may be.
This is one of the first studies to report biomarker metal levels in marijuana users, linking self-reported marijuana use to internal measures of metal exposure, rather than simply looking at metal levels within cannabis plants. , probably the largest study to date.
Results will be published in an online magazine From an environmental health perspective,
Participants reported significantly higher blood lead levels (1.27 μg/dL) and urine (1.21 μg/g creatinine) when using marijuana alone compared to non-marijuana cigarettes. .
“Since the cannabis plant is a known metal scavenger, we hypothesized that people who use marijuana would have higher levels of metal biomarkers than those who do not use marijuana,” said Columbia Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Sciences. said Caitlin McGraw, a postdoctoral fellow in the department. , first author.
“Our results therefore indicate that marijuana is a source of exposure to cadmium and lead.”
Researchers combined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2005 to 2018. NCHS NHANES, led by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), is a biannual research program designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States.
McGraw et al. categorized 7,254 study participants by usage: non-marijuana/non-tobacco, dedicated marijuana, dedicated tobacco, and combined marijuana and tobacco. Five metals were measured in the blood and 16 metals in the urine.
The researchers used four variables from NHANES to define marijuana and tobacco use only. namely, current smoking amount, serum cotinine level, self-reported previous marijuana use, and recent marijuana use. Tobacco-only use was defined as an individual who answered “yes” to “Do you currently smoke cigarettes?” or whose serum cotinine level was >10 ng/mL.
Marijuana is the third most commonly used drug in the world after tobacco and alcohol. As of 2022, 21 states and Washington DC, covering more than 50% of the US population, have legalized recreational use of marijuana.Medical marijuana is legal in 38 states and Washington, DC
However, because marijuana remains illegal at the federal level, regulation of contaminants in all cannabis-containing products remains piecemeal, with no guidance from federal regulators such as the FDA or EPA. As of 2019, 18 percent of Americans, or 48.2 million people, reported using marijuana at least once in the past year.
Twenty-eight states regulate the concentrations of inorganic arsenic, cadmium, lead, and total mercury in marijuana products, but regulatory limits vary by metal and state.
“Moving forward, we need to conduct research on cannabis use and cannabis contaminants, especially metals, to address the public health concerns associated with the growing number of cannabis users,” said Associate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the Public University of Colombia. said Dr. Tiffany R. Sanchez. Health, senior author.
The co-authors are Ann E. Nigra, Joshua Klett, Marisa Sobel, Ana Navas Asien of the Colombian Public Health Agency. Elizabeth C. Elsner, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and Xin Hu of Emory University School of Medicine.
Funding: This research was supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of Environmental Health grants P30ES009089 and T32ES007322.
About this neuroscience and CUD research news
author: Stephanie Berger
sauce: columbia university
contact: Stephanie Berger – Columbia University
image: Image credited to Neuroscience News
Original research: open access.
“Blood and urine metal levels in NHANES exclusive marijuana users (2005-2018)” written by Caitlin McGraw et al. Environmental hygiene perspective
abstract
Blood and urine metal levels in NHANES exclusive marijuana users (2005-2018)
background:
Marijuana is the third most used drug in the world.
the purpose:
Because the cannabis plant is known to be a scavenger of metals, we hypothesized that people who use marijuana would have higher levels of metal biomarkers compared to non-users.
Method:
Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2005-2018) were combined to yield a lowercase italic n equal to 7,254.n=7,254�=7,254 participants categorized by use: non-marijuana/non-tobacco, dedicated marijuana, dedicated tobacco, and combined marijuana and tobacco. Five metals were measured in blood and 16 metals in urine using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Urinary metals were adjusted for urinary creatinine.
result:
Participants who reported only marijuana use had statistically significantly higher mean blood cadmium concentrations compared to non-marijuana/non-tobacco use [1.22 micrograms per liter1.22μg/L1.22μg/L (95% CI: 1.11, 1.34); lowercase italic p less than 0.001p<0.001�<0.001] and urine [1.18 micrograms per gram1.18μg/g1.18μg/g (95% CI: 1.0, 1.31); lowercase italic p equals 0.004p=0.004�=0.004] Statistically significantly higher average lead levels in the blood [1/27 micrograms per deciliter1.27μg/dL1.27μg/dL (95% CI: 1.07, 1.50); lowercase italic p equals 0.006p=0.006�=0.006] and urine [1.21 micrograms per gram1.21μg/g1.21μg/g (95% CI: negative 0.006−0.006−0.006, 1.50); lowercase italic p equals 0.058p=0.058�=0.058].
Discussion:
Our results suggest that marijuana is a source of exposure to cadmium and lead. Research on cannabis use and cannabis contaminants, particularly metals, must be conducted to address the public health concerns associated with the increasing number of cannabis users.