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. 2020 Sep 4;17(18):6438.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph17186438.

Urinary Acrylonitrile Metabolite Concentrations Before and after Smoked, Vaporized, and Oral Cannabis in Frequent and Occasional Cannabis Users

David L Ashley  1 , Víctor R De Jesús  2 , Osama A Abulseoud  3 , Marilyn A Huestis  4 , Daniel F Milan  5 , Benjamin C Blount  2
Affiliations

Urinary Acrylonitrile Metabolite Concentrations Before and after Smoked, Vaporized, and Oral Cannabis in Frequent and Occasional Cannabis Users

David L Ashley et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Cannabis use through smoking, vaping, or ingestion is increasing, but only limited studies have investigated the resulting exposure to harmful chemicals. N-acetyl-S-(2-cyanoethyl)-L-cysteine (2CYEMA), a urinary metabolite of acrylonitrile, a possible carcinogen, is elevated in the urine of past-30-day cannabis users compared to non-cannabis users. Five frequent and five occasional cannabis users smoked and vaped cannabis on separate days; one also consumed cannabis orally. Urine samples were collected before and up to 72 h post dose and urinary 2CYEMA was quantified. We compared 2CYEMA pre-exposure levels, maximum concentration, time at maximum concentration for occasional versus frequent users following different exposure routes, and measured half-life of elimination. Smoking cannabis joints rapidly (within 10 min) increased 2CYEMA in the urine of occasional cannabis users, but not in frequent users. Urine 2CYEMA did not consistently increase following vaping or ingestion in either study group. Cigarette smokers had high pre-exposure concentrations of 2CYEMA. Following cannabis smoking, the half-lives of 2CYEMA ranged from 2.5 to 9.0 h. 2CYEMA is an effective biomarker of cannabis smoke exposure, including smoke from a single cannabis joint, however, not from vaping or when consumed orally. When using 2CYEMA to evaluate exposure in cannabis users, investigators should collect the details about tobacco smoking, route of consumption, and time since last use as possible covariates.

Keywords: acrylonitrile; cannabis; exposure routes; half-life; urine exposure biomarker.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Creatinine-corrected urine 2CYEMA (µg/g creatinine) concentrations over time before and after smoking of a cannabis joint (A) vaping of cannabis (B) or ingestion of a cannabis brownie (C) by an occasional cannabis user.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Post exposure creatinine-corrected urine 2CYEMA (µg/g creatinine) over time following smoking of a cannabis joint by an occasional cannabis user with a best-fit exponential curve.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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