Only 9 of 29 European CBD oils proved “satisfactory” when tested for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) — classified as carcinogens — in a recent study from the International Cannabis & Cannabinoids Institute (ICCI). That prompted the Prague-based group to issue a “Warning for consumers of CBD and cannabis oils sold on the EU market.” The Department of Food Analysis and Nutrition at the University of Chemical Technology, Prague, joined ICCI in issuing the warning.
“The results of the analysis exceeded expectations of the potential deficiencies,” ICCI states in a warning posted to its website. “This has led ICCI to decide to inform consumers about the risk of hazardous contaminations.” The classification of PAH as carcinogens is under the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a part of the World Health Organization.
Researchers also noted that more than half of the CBD oil products tested did not indicate THC levels on their labels. The lack of such knowledge could cause users to fail standard traffic and employment tests for THC, ICCI noted.
In a second part of the study, European food based on hemp seed oil fared well, with 23 of 25 products tested satisfying the legal limits for PAH in foods.
ICCI CEO Pavel Kubů said the organization is contacting all producers of the tested products and will share the results with them. A list of those products that satisfied limits in the PAH analysis will be available to all consumers on the website of PFC International, which established the regime under which the studies were carried out.
