This review addresses
knowledge gaps in cannabis cultivation facility
(CCF) air emissions by synthesizing the peer-reviewed and gray literature.
Focus areas include compounds emitted, air quality indoors and outdoors,
odor assessment, and the potential health effects of emitted compounds.
Studies suggest that β-myrcene is a tracer candidate for CCF
biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs). Furthermore, β-myrcene, d-limonene, terpinolene, and α-pinene are often reported
in air samples collected in and around CCF facilities. The BVOC emission
strength per dry weight of plant is higher than most conventional
agriculture crops. Nevertheless, reported total CCF BVOC emissions
are lower compared with VOCs from other industries. Common descriptors
of odors coming from CCFs include “skunky”, “herbal”,
and “pungent”. However, there are few peer-reviewed
studies addressing the odor impacts of CCFs outdoors. Atmospheric
modeling has been limited to back trajectory models of tracers and
ozone impact assessment. Health effects of CCFs are mostly related
to odor annoyance or occupational hazards. We identify 16 opportunities
for future studies, including an emissions database by strain and
stage of life (growing cycle) and odor-related setback guidelines.
Exploration and implementation of key suggestions presented in this
work may help regulators and the industry reduce the environmental
footprint of CCF facilities.
Odor exposure can adversely impact health and quality of life. It is challenging to study odors and their effects due to variability in individual sensitivity and perception, atmospheric physico-chemical processes, and emissions of mixtures of odorous contaminants. Here, we conduct quantitative and qualitative analyses of a 12-month data set from a web application collecting crowd-sourced odor reports, including spatiotemporal information, odor and self-reported impacts description (OSAC: odors, symptoms, actions in response, and potential causes), and demographics, in Vancouver, Canada. Spatiotemporal patterns highlight the influence of persistent sources (e.g., waste management) and transient events (e.g., accidents). Multiple linear regression models suggest that meteorological ventilation and air pollutants account for 60% of the variance in daily odor report counts. Users report diverse OSAC with strong seasonality and spatial variability. Reported symptoms, ranging from neurological to emotion-and mood-related, highlight the complexity of odor-related well-being impacts. Odors can trigger maladaptive behavior, where individuals are exposed to other environmental stressors (e.g., heat stress) or engage in risky behaviors to avoid or cope with odor impacts. Results from this project provide evidence that human-centered approaches can enrich understanding of the impacts of odorous emissions on health and well-being.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.