Occupational health and safety in cannabis production: an Australian perspective

Abstract

The legal Australian cannabis industry has been rapidly expanding due to increased awareness of the plant's therapeutic potential, as well its diverse range of applications including biofuel, textiles, building materials, food, nutritional supplement, and animal feed. The objective of this paper is to describe the current landscape of the commercial Australian cannabis industry, summarise occupational health and safety (OHS) hazards in cannabisrelated working environments, and provide suggestions for safeguarding worker health and well-being in this emerging industry.A comprehensive search of peer-reviewed and grey literature published between 1900 and 2017 was undertaken to identify case studies and original epidemiological research on OHS hazards associated with the cannabis cultivation and the manufacture of cannabis-based products. The review found that the majority of OHS studies were undertaken in the hemp textile industry during the late twentieth century, with a small number of articles published from a variety of occupational environments including forensic laboratories and recreational marijuana farms. Cannabis harvesting and initial processing is labour intensive, and presents a physical hazard Depending on the operation, workers may also be exposed to a variety of biological, chemical, and physical hazards including: organic dusts, bioaerosols, pollen/allergens, volatile organic compounds, psychoactive substances (tetrahydrocannabinol [THC])), noise, and ultraviolet radiation.Little research has been undertaken on the exposure to inhalable organic dust and other bioaerosols during the commercial cultivation and manufacture of cannabis-based products. Furthermore, there is an absence of Australian-based research and OHS guidance materials to help professionals develop risk management strategies in this evolving industry.

Limited effect of environmental stress on cannabinoid profiles in high‐cannabidiol hemp (Cannabis sativa L.)

“…In many countries, there is a regulatory threshold of THC concentration in dry floral tissue that defines C. sativa as hemp. This threshold varies between countries, with a value of 0.2% in most of Europe (Salentijn et al, 2015), 0.3% in the United States (Adesso et al, 2019), and 1% in Australia (Davidson et al, 2018). It has been suggested that various environmental stresses increase the abundance of cannabinoids in hemp, especially THC (Nir, 2019); however, there are limited published data to address this idea.…”

A 20-Year-Old Man with e-Cigarette or Vaping Product Use-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) and Thrombotic Coagulopathy

“…The adverse effects of the patient’s e-cigarette use were possibly confounded by his occupational exposure to aerosolized CBD or vaporized solvents such as ethanol or toluene. Cannabis manufacturing facilities can additionally expose workers to organic dusts including endotoxins, fungi, and bacteria, as well as volatile organic compounds, such as diacetyl, ethanol, and toluene [ 25 – 27 ]. In mouse models, chronic exposure to ethanol vapors has been shown to increase pulmonary inflammatory cell infiltration (not associated with significant lung injury, however), but there was no mention of augmenting thrombogenesis [ 28 ].…”

Cannabis, One Health, and Veterinary Medicine: Cannabinoids’ Role in Public Health, Food Safety, and Translational Medicine

“…In the fields of clinical, occupational, and environmental medicine there are also rising concerns regarding hazards of cannabis production in which there is an exposure to several contaminants including microbes, heavy metals, and pesticides. [3][4][5] A recent example of the important role of public health with regard to cannabis can be found in the Denver Department of Public Health & Environment investigation, which found potentially unsafe levels of yeast and mold in samples of dried marijuana. This led the Denver Department of Public Health & Environment to issue and oversee a recall process to remove potentially contaminated products from commercial circulation; to date the location list of retailers to which contaminated material was distributed includes 144 retail stores, 3 cultivation facilities, and 11 manufacturing facilities.…”