Contamination from heavy metals can result from cultivation activities, from water, soil or nutrients used during the plant’s life cycle.  Post-harvest extraction or processing can provide additional opportunities for the introduction of metal contaminants.  Elemental analysis is performed using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICPMS). Spectrometric data are processed by quantitatively comparing peak areas against calibration curves prepared from certified reference standards. Pass/Fail limits have been established by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, based on recommendations from the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) on risk to human health.

• Standard heavy metal panel includes:
  – Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd), Mercury (Hg) and Lead (Pb)

• Extended elemental profiling provides additional concentrations:
  – Copper (Cu), Chromium (Cr), Iron (Fe), Magnesium (Mg), Manganese (Mn),      Nickel (Ni), Selenium (Se), Tin (Sn), Antimony (Sb), and Zinc (Zn)