Chemicals in Baby Soaps Linked to Positive THC Tests of Newborns
One of the things that people will probably least expect is for a newborn to test positive for marijuana – but a hospital in North Carolina became concerned after a high incidence of newborns testing positive for marijuana exposure was observed.
The incident led to the conduct of a study, which found that the positive marijuana test results among newborns may be attributed to chemicals found in baby soaps and shampoos, including brands manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, Aveeno, and CVS brand products.
Initially, the researchers could not specifically identify the reason behind why urine tests of newborns came back positive for marijuana, according to Dr. Catherine Hammett-Stabler, lead study author at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
She shared the following with ABC News: “We went up to the nursery, followed the nurses and the staff around to identify everything that was done, everything that was essentially touching those babies’ skins, could possibly come into contact with the urine that we were subsequently testing.”
The researchers looked into various commercial products and materials that newborns usually come into contact with. The results of their study showed that there are chemicals found in baby soaps and shampoos – such as polyquarternium-11 and cocamidopropyl betaine – that can trigger positive THC results.
The researchers believe that trace amounts of these chemicals, defined as 0.1 ml or less, may have found their way into urine samples after being washed off the babies’ bodies. Among the products that led to false positives were Johnson & Johnson’s Bedtime Bath, CVS Night-time Baby Bath, Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Creamy Wash and Aveeno Baby Wash & Shampoo.
Tags: marijuana in baby shampoo, marijuana in baby soaps, newborns positive marijuana test, positive marijuana test of babies
