Mark Zatyrka, CEO of Insa, talks about recent concern about vaping-related illness in September 2019.  GAZETTE FILE PHOTO

EASTHAMPTON — Vaping products returned to cannabis businesses’ shelves recently after a monthslong ban. But that doesn’t mean state scrutiny has ceased.

The Cannabis Control Commission on Thursday released test results of 109 vaping products it had quarantined during the ban. None of the products contained vitamin E acetate, the ingredient most strongly linked to a rash of serious lung illnesses. But there were 13 products that contained impermissibly high levels of lead, according to the commission — including some that have been sold in local stores.

Of the 13 products the commission identified as containing high lead levels, two were “DART pod” vaping devices that have been sold at INSA in Easthampton.

“Each of these products had previously, and successfully, complied with testing protocols before being made available for sale,” the commission said of its tests. “When tested again this month, however, 13 of the aforementioned products failed for impermissible levels of lead.”

To fail the state’s lead test, lead has to be detected at levels of 500 parts per billion (ppb) or more. The commission did not identify which stores its 109 samples came from, offering only the name of the product, the testing lab, test date, and results for vitamin E acetate and heavy metals.

A commission spokesperson said that because its investigation is ongoing, the agency is not able to confirm which manufacturers or retailers are affiliated with the test results.

The Gazette, however, found at least two products sold locally that the commission identified as lead-contaminated. The products, “DART-Jack Herer-500MG” and “DART-Northern Lights-500MG,” are under identical names on INSA’s website.

The first vaping cartridge was found to have a lead level of 645.5 ppb, and the latter was tested at 762.9 ppb. The vaping pods are listed as “not available now” on INSA’s website.

In a statement, INSA CEO Mark Zatyrka said the company is taking the issue “very seriously.”

“Insa is committed to compliance with all applicable laws and regulations for testing and consumer safety,” Zatyrka wrote. “We are working with the industry to identify why certain products that passed stringent state testing have now been identified to have generated different results when re-tested weeks later.”

Zatyrka said that since the state’s initial ban on vapes, INSA has not offered any vaping products for sale in Massachusetts.

“We hope to have our cartridges and pens available for sale again shortly, but we have made the decision not to resume sales of the Dart until we are able to determine the reasons for the different results of the initial test and the re-test,” Zatyrka said. “We are exploring several possible explanations for the different results — some of which have nothing to do with the product — but until we have an answer we will not be selling the Dart product.”

The Gazette also contacted the Arizona company 3Win Corp., which is a vendor of vaping hardware, like DART pods, made by a Chinese company, CCELL. Interviewed Monday, 3Win Vice President Jeff Sinacori said CCELL vaping cartridges are “the safest cart in the industry today.”

Sinacori said that when his company sells cartridges, they are in compliance with all California regulations, which also set a 500 ppb threshold for lead. After sale, he said, his company has nothing to do with the products put inside the cartridges.

“When our carts are tested, they’re tested lead-free and metal-free and so forth,” Sinacori said. “They comply with all regulations up until that point, where we back off. We just sell them.”

When asked whether it was possible for DART pods to leach heavy metals into marijuana products inside them, as has been documented with some other vaping hardware, he said no.

“I don’t think the DART pod leaks anything into the oils,” he said.

The Cannabis Control Commission has said that its investigation int o  quarantined vaping products made before Dec. 12 is ongoing.

“These findings make clear that the commission should, and will, continue its investigation into vaping products,” the commission announced with its release of test results. “As additional information and findings become available, the commission will continue to share them with the public.”

This story has been updated with comments from INSA CEO Mark Zatyrka stating that his company has not resumed sale of DART products.

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