When you purchase an organic item that grew from the soil, you want to understand the nature of its purity. Agriculturists depend on the quality and quantity of their crop to make a stable living, so they will do everything in their power to ensure their product thrives and pests stay away. This means they can sprinkle harmful chemicals on the items you ingest without your knowledge. Here is more on the importance of pesticide testing in cannabis and hemp.
What’s the Big Deal?
Farmers likely pepper food and produce with chemicals people would rather not allow into their bodies. Yet, no one has a say in the matter because pesticide use is a common practice, and it maintains the integrity of the supply chain. Yet, these things matter immensely when relating to items like cannabis and hemp. Many people ingest hemp and especially cannabis in ways that alter its physical form—burning it from a solid into an inhalable gas. This can release dangerous toxins in the product if people are not careful. These chemicals, in turn, can damage various organs throughout the body.
Who Is Involved?
Food safety regulators classify many pesticides as carcinogenic or neurotoxic, making examination vital to long-term health. The pesticide testing process involves many people who create a safe product for the end-user. It all begins with farmers who submit information regarding their agricultural practices. This documentation then works in conjunction with technical analysis from scientists themselves. These scientists perform a whole workup of the hemp and cannabis, looking for dangerous particles in the sample substance. Using mass spectrometers and a whole host of other equipment, these technicians have the final say on what exactly is in a given product sample.
How Can You Tell the Difference?
It’s one thing to understand the dangers of pesticides and quite another to know how to avoid them—how exactly can consumers tell the difference? For starters, users should only purchase their product from trusted sources with verifiable testing methods. Shop with cannabis and hemp businesses with credible sourcing and stringent testing. If you ever experience eye irritation, rashes, or other severe medical symptoms, you should consult a doctor right away—you could’ve ingested a harmful pesticide.
Understanding the importance of pesticide testing in cannabis and hemp is critical for scientists and end-users alike. If you need new or refurbished scientific instruments to conduct your assessments, reach out to our team at GenTech Scientific to find the right tools for your laboratory.
