Determination of eighty-two pesticides and application to screening pesticides in cannabis growing facilities

Determination of pesticides in cannabis facilities is increasingly important as medicinal and recreational uses of cannabis products expand rapidly. We report a method involving wipe sampling, liquid chromatography separation, and tandem mass spectrometry, which enables determination of 82 pesticides out of the 96 regulated by Health Canada. To demonstrate an application of the method, we sampled and measured pesticides in two cannabis growing facilities, representing a non-certified and a certified site. We detected 41 pesticides in surface wipe samples at the non-certified site and 6 at the certified site. This study provides the first evidence showing pesticide occurrence on common surfaces in cannabis growing facilities and points to a need for routine monitoring and strict control of pesticide use in cannabis facilities.