Florida finds elevated lead levels in some hemp products in stores

Florida agriculture officials say they’re finding elevated lead levels in some hemp products on store shelves and have alerted federal agencies.

The state’s hemp czar, Holly Bell, told the Florida Hemp Advisory Committee this week that random bottled samples that were pulled from stores showed “a toxic-waste-level concentration” of lead, WFSU reported.

The federal limit for lead for consumption is 5.5 parts per billion. But the hemp products tested in Florida had levels ranging from 6.5 to 18.5 parts per billion, Bell said.

She said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration have partnered with the state’s agriculture department as the agency investigates the source of the contamination.

It wasn’t immediately known what the products were and if anyone has gotten sick from consuming them.