Open AccessNovel Δ8-Tetrahydrocannabinol Vaporizers Contain Unlabeled Adulterants, Unintended Byproducts of Chemical Synthesis, and Heavy Metals
Author(s) -
Jiries Meehan-Atrash,
Irfan Rahman
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
chemical research in toxicology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.031
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1520-5010
pISSN - 0893-228X
DOI - 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.1c00388
Subject(s) - cannabidiol , tetrahydrocannabinol , cannabis , chemistry , cannabinoid , δ9 tetrahydrocannabinol , dronabinol , synthetic cannabinoids , heavy metals , chromatography , toxicology , environmental chemistry , biochemistry , medicine , biology , receptor , psychiatry
Cannabis e-cigarettes containing Δ 8 -tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ 8 -THC) produced synthetically from hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) have recently risen in popularity as a legal means of cannabis consumption, but questions surrounding purity and unlabeled additives have created doubts of their safety. Herein, NMR, GC-MS, and ICP-MS were used to analyze major components of 27 products from 10 brands, and it was determined none of these had accurate Δ 8 -THC labeling, 11 had unlabeled cutting agents, and all contained reaction side-products including olivetol, Δ 4(8) - iso -tetrahydrocannabinol, 9-ethoxyhexahydrocannabinol, Δ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ 9 -THC), heavy metals, and a novel previously undescribed cannabinoid, iso -tetrahydrocannabifuran.