Ozonolysis Lifetime of Tetrahydrocannabinol in Thirdhand Cannabis Smoke

Thirdhand smoke (THS) describes the persistent contamination on indoor surfaces following smoking. Cannabis THS is a chemically distinct form of THS which remains poorly characterized, relative to tobacco. Understanding its fate is necessary to mitigate exposure to cannabis smoke components and potentially harmful transformation products. In this work, the heterogeneous reaction of surface-bound Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a component of cannabis smoke, with ozone was examined. Cannabis smoke deposits were collected inside a Teflon chamber on glass, cotton, and tile surfaces. Samples were exposed to high (100 ppb) and realistic indoor ozone concentrations (20 ppb) inside a flow tube and to low ozone levels (2 to 29 ppb) present in a genuine indoor environment. Chemical transformations were monitored by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), with epoxide and dicarbonyl products detected. Rapid initial loss of THC was observed on all surfaces, but a small fraction (5%-10%) persisted for extended time scales. A short loss lifetime (a few hours) was observed for THC deposited on glass and tile under typical indoor ozone exposures, leading to almost complete loss at longer times. THC decay on cotton was approximately five times longer than on glass, with up to 10% of THC remaining after 1 week of exposure.

Automated summary

This study investigated the heterogeneous reaction between THC bound to indoor surfaces and ozone. The results showed that THC experienced rapid initial loss on all surfaces, but a small fraction persisted for extended periods. THC deposited on glass and tile exhibited a short loss lifetime under typical indoor ozone exposures, while THC on cotton decayed at a slower rate.