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PUBLICATIONS

Cannabinoids detected in exhaled breath condensate after cannabis use

Published

Author(s)

Jennifer Berry, Ashley Brooks-Russell, Cheryle Beuning, Sarah Limbacher, Tara Lovestead, Kavita Jeerage

Abstract

Cannabinoids can be detected in breath after cannabis use, but different breath matrices need to be explored as studies to date with filter-based devices that collect breath aerosols have not demonstrated that breath-based measurements can reliably identify recent cannabis use. Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) is an unexplored aqueous breath matrix that contains condensed volatile compounds and water vapor in addition to aerosols. EBC was collected from participants both before and at two time points (0.7 ± 0.2 h and 1.7 ± 0.3 h) after observed cannabis use. Eleven different cannabinoids were monitored with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Five different cannabinoids, including Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), were detected in EBC collected from cannabis users. THC was detected in some EBC samples before cannabis use, despite the requested abstinence period. THC was detected in all EBC samples collected at 0.7 h post use and decreased for all participants at 1.7 h. Non-THC cannabinoids were only detected after cannabis use. THC concentrations in EBC samples collected at 0.7 h showed no trend with sample metrics like mass or number of breaths. EBC sampling devices deserve further investigation with respect to modes of cannabis use (e.g, edibles), post use time points, and optimization of cannabinoid recovery.
Citation
Journal of Breath Research
Volume
18
Pub Type
Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1088/1752-7163/ad6347
Local Download

Keywords

cannabis, forensic toxicology, ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
Forensic Science and Chemistry

Citation

Berry, J. , Brooks-Russell, A. , Beuning, C. , Limbacher, S. , Lovestead, T. and Jeerage, K. (2024), Cannabinoids detected in exhaled breath condensate after cannabis use, Journal of Breath Research, [online], https://doi.org/10.1088/1752-7163/ad6347, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=957271 (Accessed October 13, 2025)

Issues

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Created July 23, 2024, Updated January 15, 2025
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