After deciding to try CBD oil, the next crucial task is to distinguish between high-quality and scam.
While plant medication has the potential to be very beneficial, it also carries some danger. Since the condition of the latest agricultural methods, you must exercise caution while handling anything that comes from the earth because it may contain toxins. When it comes to CBD, you must consider the extraction process (which involves chemicals, some of which are safer than others) and the actual content of the final product. The following guide helps to understand the common contaminants in oil-containing CBD. It also explains various tests that indicate the presence of harmful contaminants and how one should make the right choice when purchasing a product.
What is CBD oil?
CBD or cannabidiol is among the 100 active chemicals discovered in the cannabis plant with medicinal properties. The CBD oil makers use carriers like coconut or hemp seed oil with cannabidiol extracts often utilized as carriers for CBD extracts in many products. CBD oil is available in the forms, including tinctures, capsules, concentrates, sprays, topical creams, waxes, sweets, and more.
How is the encounter?
Multiple CBD users have reported a broad range of health advantages. These involve relief from chronic pain, anxiety, inflammation, and other problems, without experiencing any adverse effects associated with medicines with FDA approval.
Some people believe that cannabis products may help them manage their blood pressure. More research is still essential to fully understand all the advantages. But scientists are continuing to investigate CBD, THC, and hemp to know more.
As one would expect, the cannabinoid is the most prevalent in CBD oil, but THC is also present in certain CBD oils. THC and CBD are two prominent cannabinoids found in hemp.
Tetrahydrocannabinol is also known as THC, is the phytochemical frequently associated with inducing euphoria in marijuana users. Several CBD businesses utilize industrial hemp that has lower THC levels. It allows consumers to get the benefits of CBD oil without having to worry about experiencing euphoric effects. Not all CBD oil products have the same manufacturing process, unfortunately.
A certain quantity of toxins and chemicals exist in most renowned CBD products. The following guide explains the CBD oil contaminants, their risks, and how to prevent them.
CBD Oil Contaminants
CBD is healthy and safe depending on the soil and the elements it comes in contact with. Heavy metals are the most frequent pollutants found in CBD oil. Heavy metals may be found naturally in the soil but also exist due to environmental pollution caused by industrial or agricultural activities.
Fertilizers, particularly phosphate fertilizers, soil amendments, and sewage plant by-products, are the primary causes of increasing heavy metals in the atmosphere. Heavy metals are also deposited in the earth’s crust by mining activities, refineries, plastic manufacture, nuclear power plants, paper making, and petroleum operations, among other industries. The heavy metals that are most frequently found in soil are as follows:
- Nickel
- Manganese
- Zinc
- Copper
- Chromium
- Lead
- Cadmium
- Arsenic
- Mercury
The above pollutants from the soil enter the plants, thereby becoming a part of CBD oil. The oil also contains other contaminants like mold, bacteria, pesticides, and solvents obtained post extraction processes.
Risks associated with contaminants found in CBD oil
Using CBD oil items with contaminants is not a smart idea. Pesticides, for example, are potential pollutants that may have severe long-term consequences. Because they are toxic, several of the heavy metals mentioned above may have severe side effects for people who consume them.
High amounts of non-toxic metals, such as zinc, used to treat several health problems, may also be hazardous. There are distinct risks associated with each contaminant with heavy metal at cellular and major levels. Some of the risks are as follows:
- Faulty cell respiration
- Damage to the brain
- Cancer
- Disruption of organ function
- Damage to the nerves and muscles
- Increased production of free radicals, which cause cell damage
Moreover, the long-term usage of CBD oil with contaminants or any other substance with toxic levels could promote muscular, neurological, and physical degenerative processes leading to worst conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, muscular dystrophy, and multiple sclerosis.
How to test CBD oil for contaminants?
Know what you’re getting into before you purchase
Respectable and responsible CBD oil producers submit the extracts to an independent laboratory for analysis. The lab determines the kind of CBD and the number of components. It also determines the presence of any potentially harmful impurities, to maintain their good reputation.
The Cannabis Safety Institute states that a chemist holding a Ph.D. degree or experience of eight years in analytical chromatography is eligible to run tests that meet standards.
Usually, cannabis test labs conduct the five panels listed below to verify that products are safe and consistent for the general population to consume.
To identify the quality of CBD and THC present in broad-spectrum or full-spectrum products, testing active cannabinoids is essential for their concentrations in the product. The amount of THC present is particularly significant in states without approval for cannabis.
While growing industrial hemp plants or cannabis, herbicides, pesticides, and several chemicals are applied at various phases. The quantity of pesticides present in the CBD product comes up on the pesticide panel.
Different kinds of microorganisms, like bacteria and mold, that may cause health problems are tested in laboratories. Microbiology panels show any illnesses, germs, pests, hazardous additives, or foreign fibers to the CBD product introduced during the manufacturing process.
Residual Solvents – Extraction of cannabidiol from hemp plants is usually accomplished via the use of solvents like propane, ethanol, or butane. The post-extraction process eliminated all traces of the solvent. A solvent panel reveals any remnants that may still be present and may render a product unfit for human consumption if not removed.
Heavy metals – The heavy metals panel test checks for their precise concentration, particularly for the presence of mercury, lead, and arsenic in the environment.
How to keep CBD oil free of contaminants when using it?
We all know that the CBD market has been deregulated for quite some time. Luckily, as cannabis usage becomes more popular, watchdog organizations and agencies are establishing guidelines, although FDA cannot control CBD products.
It is essential to verify that the producer has submitted CBD for testing, to get quality CBD oil while avoiding impurities. It also means they have received proof.
Testing laboratories for cannabis offer producers a COA or Certificate of Analysis, which contains all the findings of the tests. Obtaining the Certificate of Analysis is the initial step in bypassing pollutants.
However, many labs have not been audited and are not standardized, resulting in contradictory results from testing. To avoid contamination in your CBD goods, you must be certain the testing took place at an authorized facility that fulfills the quality requirements established by the International Organization for Standardization, demonstrating that the lab can generate reliable results.
Conclusion
Finally, all cannabis manufacturers must test the products for pesticides, heavy metals, and residual solvents. It is also necessary to determine how much CBD is present in the product.