Date of Submission
5-12-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Department
Forensic Science
Advisor
Mari
Keywords
Cannabindiol (CBD) lotion, Cadmium and Lead Contamination, Dermal Permeation, Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS)
MeSH
Cannabidiol, Metals, Heavy , Risk assessment, Carcinogens, Skin, Mass Spectrometry
LCSH
Heavy metals—Toxicology, Carcinogens, Dermatotoxicology, Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry
Abstract
Cannabindiol (CBD) lotions have the possibility of containing heavy metals due to the natural ability of the hemp plant, Cannabis sativa L., to bioaccumulate them during its growth process. The heavy metals that contaminate the plant’s soil appear prominently due to a lack of regulation and may stem from proximity to densely industrialized areas, old insecticides, and air pollution. Heavy metals can, once they enter the body, be dangerous to humans, especially lead and cadmium, which are known carcinogens. With the rise in popularity of CBD lotions and oils being used for therapeutics, the potential of heavy metal contamination in these products raises concerns. There currently exist no standards for the dermal permeation ability of heavy metals in lotion. Previous research has explored the relation of permeation depth of these two ions and concentration, exposure time, and reapplication, but has not found the concentrations associated with these changing variables. This thesis aimed to quantify lead and cadmium at different permeation depths from standards of contaminated lotions through a skin model. Factors such as exposure length, heavy metal concentration in lotion, and reapplication were investigated. Throughout this study, all samples were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for precise and efficient elemental analysis. The preliminary results suggest that permeation is independent of heavy metal concentration and exposure length, however, reapplication appears to directly affect the concentration of lead and cadmium in the skin model.
Recommended Citation
Faderl, Allison, "Evaluating Lead and Cadmium Uptake Quantitatively from Contaminated Lotion Through a Skin Model" (2026). Honors Theses. 131.
https://digitalcommons.newhaven.edu/honorstheses/131