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Kim DH, Park GY, Kim D, Suh HS, Oh JE. Nationwide assessment of illicit drug consumption patterns in South Korea using wastewater-based epidemiology during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2022). JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 476:135090. [PMID: 39024765 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.135090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Revised: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Illicit drugs have become a crucial global social issue, with South Korea experiencing a continuous increase in the number of offenders and drug smuggling. This study employed wastewater-based epidemiology to investigate consumption patterns of 8 illicit drugs and their 7 metabolites during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2022) in South Korea. Ten compouds were detected in the wastewater influent. Methamphetamine (METH) was prevalent in samples, followed by amphetamine and ecstasy (MDMA). Interestingly, MDMA and ketamine (KET), which were not detected in previous Korean studies conducted before COVID-19 pandemic, were detected in this study. METH exhibited the highest consumption rates, decreasing from 16.6 to 12.4 mg/day/1000 people between 2020 and 2022, while MDMA increased over the three years (mean: 1.16, 1.24, and 1.62 mg/day/1000 people in 2020, 2021, and 2022, respectively) (p < 0.05). Significant correlations were identified between regional income levels and the consumption rates of METH (p < 0.01), MDMA (p < 0.01), and KET (p < 0.05). Furthermore, METH and MDMA consumption rates in cities were positively correlated with the number of drug offenders arrested and local clubs in those cities. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into shaping regulatory policies related to illicit drugs and future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Da-Hye Kim
- Institute for Environment and Energy, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Ga-Young Park
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Donghyun Kim
- Department of Urban Planning and Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Hae Sun Suh
- College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong-Eun Oh
- Institute for Environment and Energy, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea.
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2
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Che X, Liu P, Ding Y, Tao W, Zheng X, Di B, Qiao H. In-sample stability and postsampling analysis of 21 illicit drugs, their metabolites and cotinine in wastewater. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2024; 270:115900. [PMID: 38176186 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
A thorough understanding of the degradation of chemical biomarkers in wastewater after the sampling is critical in the surveillance of illicit drug use based on the back-calculation technique. Herein, three temperatures, eight groups of matrices, and acidification were applied to simulate the preservation condition of 21 illicit drugs, their metabolites, and cotinine for a 240-day stability study. It was proved that the temperature, matrices, and acidification play vital roles in their stability in wastewater. Most of them demonstrated high stability (transformation rates < 20%) during room temperature for 45 days, and the transformation rates decreased while the storage temperature reduced. The stability of the target compounds such as cocaine (COC), 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM), and amphetamine (AM) is influenced by matrices. Acidification prevented the majority of analytes from transforming, making it a feasible solution for preservation after sampling. A model that combined the effects of temperature and matrix was developed to back-calculate the concentration of target compounds during the postsampling process. The feasibility of this model was validated by correcting the loss of COC and 6-MAM from 24.2% and 16.2% to 2.98% and 2.77%. This study simulated a typical large-scale sampling and storage scenario. The effect of the temperature, pH, and matrix on in-sample stability and the postsampling analysis of selected target compounds was investigated for the first time in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinfeng Che
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, PR China; Office of China National Narcotics Control Commission-China Pharmaceutical University Joint Laboratory on Key Technologies of Narcotics Control, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Peipei Liu
- Office of China National Narcotics Control Commission-China Pharmaceutical University Joint Laboratory on Key Technologies of Narcotics Control, Beijing 100193, PR China; Key Laboratory of Drug Monitoring and Control, Drug Intelligence and Forensic Center, Ministry of Public Security, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Yan Ding
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, PR China; Office of China National Narcotics Control Commission-China Pharmaceutical University Joint Laboratory on Key Technologies of Narcotics Control, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Wenjia Tao
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, PR China; Office of China National Narcotics Control Commission-China Pharmaceutical University Joint Laboratory on Key Technologies of Narcotics Control, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Xiaoyu Zheng
- Office of China National Narcotics Control Commission-China Pharmaceutical University Joint Laboratory on Key Technologies of Narcotics Control, Beijing 100193, PR China; Key Laboratory of Drug Monitoring and Control, Drug Intelligence and Forensic Center, Ministry of Public Security, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Bin Di
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, PR China; Office of China National Narcotics Control Commission-China Pharmaceutical University Joint Laboratory on Key Technologies of Narcotics Control, Beijing 100193, PR China.
| | - Hongwei Qiao
- Office of China National Narcotics Control Commission-China Pharmaceutical University Joint Laboratory on Key Technologies of Narcotics Control, Beijing 100193, PR China; Key Laboratory of Drug Monitoring and Control, Drug Intelligence and Forensic Center, Ministry of Public Security, Beijing 100193, PR China.
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Luo J, Bello D, Pagsuyoin S. Long-term wastewater-based surveillance and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on drug use trends in a U.S. Northeast rural town. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 877:162806. [PMID: 36931526 PMCID: PMC10015086 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Herein we discuss the findings of a two-year wastewater-based drug use surveillance from September 2018 to August 2020 and present objective evidence on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on drug use in a rural community. 24-h composite wastewater samples were collected twice each month from a university town in Northeastern United States and were analyzed for ten priority opioids and stimulants: morphine, codeine, hydrocodone, methadone, fentanyl cocaine, methamphetamine, amphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-ethylamphetamine (MDEA). All target drugs were detected at 100 % frequency in wastewater samples. On a mass basis, the average estimated per capita drug consumption were highest for cocaine, morphine, and amphetamine, and lowest for MDMA, MDEA, and hydrocodone. Furthermore, the estimated per capita consumption of fentanyl was higher than previous reports from rural and university settings in the U.S. Generally, drug consumption was higher during the spring semesters, with year-on-year semester increases also noted over the 2-y study period. Except for methadone and cocaine, the estimated average per capita consumption of drugs increased over the pandemic period, with the highest increase noted for MDMA (286 % increase compared to baseline, p = 0.016). Estimated average consumption of methadone and cocaine decreased slightly by 6 % and 7 %, respectively. These results demonstrate the utility and strength of wastewater-based approaches in capturing long-term and evolving trends in drug use within communities. Our study findings reflect the regionwide problem with opioid-related overdoses and increasing stimulant prescription rates. Our findings also provide objective data and insights for health policymakers on the effects of the pandemic period on community drug use in a rural U.S. town.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayue Luo
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Geography Science, Ningbo University, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Dhimiter Bello
- Department of Biomedical and Nutritional Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, MA 01854, USA
| | - Sheree Pagsuyoin
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell, MA 01854, USA.
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Xiong J, Wei X, Shen X, Zhu W, Yi S, Huang C. Synthesis of molecularly-imprinted polymers towards a group of amphetamine-type stimulants by reflux precipitation polymerization with a pseudo template. J Chromatogr A 2023; 1688:463738. [PMID: 36574747 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2022.463738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Determination of amphetamine-type drugs (ATSs) in urine and wastewater is a simplified approach for the widespread monitoring of ATSs abuse. To improve the sensitivity of the analytical methods, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) based solid-phase extraction (SPE) pretreatment attracted great attention in this field. Generally, smaller particle sizes and more uniform morphology of the MIPs could provide higher detection sensitivity. Our previous works showed reflux precipitation polymerization (RPP) is a method for synthesizing monodispersed MIPs with small particle size. However, synthesis of uniform spherical MIPs towards a group of targets has never been reported. Therefore, in the present work, MIPs towards a group of ATSs were synthesized via RPP with a pseudo template for the first time. After screening potential pseudo-templates, N-methylphenylethylamine (MPEA) was selected as the optimal pseudo-template. MPEA-MIPs were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), FT-IR spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra. Adsorption isotherms, adsorption kinetics and selectivity were evaluated, and the experimental results indicated that the MPEA-MIPs possessed good selectivity and adsorption property towards ATSs. After optimization of the MIP-SPE procedure, the MIP-SPE cartridges were then coupled with liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for determination of ATSs. The evaluation results showed that MIP-SPE-LC-MS/MS displayed good linearity (R2 >0.991) in the linear range (1.0-50.0 µg/L for urine and 0.5-50.0 µg/L for wastewater), and low matrix effect (85-112%). The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.05 -0.29 µg/L, and the accuracy (85-115%) and repeatability (RSD ≤ 15%) were satisfactory at low, medium and high concentrations. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that dummy MIPs towards a group of ATSs were synthesized by RPP polymerization, which showed great potential for the detection of ATSs in urine and wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianhua Xiong
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hangkong Road #13, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China
| | - Xiangting Wei
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hangkong Road #13, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China
| | - Xiantao Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Environment Health (Incubation), Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Environment and Health (Wuhan), Ministry of Environmental Protection, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, #13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, China
| | - Weiwei Zhu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hangkong Road #13, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China
| | - Shaohua Yi
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hangkong Road #13, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China.
| | - Chuixiu Huang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hangkong Road #13, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China.
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Cao J, Li M, Chen XY. Competitive fluorescence immunoassay for the rapid qualitative screening and accurate quantitative analysis of ketamine. RSC Adv 2022; 12:30529-30538. [PMID: 36337982 PMCID: PMC9597582 DOI: 10.1039/d2ra05202d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 05/22/2023] Open
Abstract
In this paper, a sensitive and specific competitive fluorescence immunoassay (CFIA) method was developed for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of ketamine (KET). A novel competitive model in which ketamine hapten (KET-BSA), coated on microporous plates, competed with ketamine antigen (KET-Ag) in actual samples to bind fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled antibody (KET-Ab) could be used for rapid and indirect quantitative analysis of KET in human urine, blood, or sewage. In the CFIA method, KET concentration in the sample negatively correlated with the detected fluorescence intensity. The linear correlation coefficient of the competitive quantitative equation was 0.992, the linear range was 0.01-0.5 μg mL-1, and the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.1 pg mL-1. The specificity results showed that the cross-reaction rate of norketamine was less than 10%. Recoveries of spiked samples at low, medium, and high concentrations ranged from 96% to 117%. The CFIA method and classical gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) were used to detect the actual samples simultaneously. The relative deviation of the quantitative results was less than 10%. The LOD value of KET by CFIA was four orders of magnitude lower than that by GC-MS/MS. Additionally, CFIA had great advantages over GC-MS/MS in terms of sample pretreatment and economic investment. In conclusion, this study provided a targeting detection platform for KET, which achieved a rapid, portable, and sensitive analysis of trace KET in various materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Cao
- Scientific Research and Experiment Center, Fujian Police College Fuzhou 350007 China
- Fuzhou University Postdoctoral Research Station of Chemistry, Fuzhou University Fuzhou 350108 China
- Fujian Police College Judicial Expertise Center Fuzhou 350007 China
- Regional Counter-Terrorism Research Center, Fujian Police College Fuzhou 350007 China
| | - Mingjie Li
- Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow Glasgow G12 8QQ UK
| | - Xiao-Ying Chen
- College of Environment & Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University Fuzhou 350108 China
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6
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Elucidating photolysis mechanisms of ketamine by quantum chemical calculations. COMPUT THEOR CHEM 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.comptc.2022.113845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Zhang Y, Zhu K, Huang W, Guo Z, Jiang S, Zheng C, Yu Y. Can wastewater surveillance assist China to cost-effectively prevent the nationwide outbreak of COVID-19? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 829:154719. [PMID: 35331760 PMCID: PMC8935960 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2021] [Revised: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
China has controlled the nationwide spread of COVID-19 since April 2020, but it is still facing an enormous threat of disease resurgence originating from infected international travelers. Taking the rapid transmission and the mutation of SARS-CoV-2 into consideration, the current status would be easily jeopardized if sporadic locally-transmitted individuals are not identified at an early stage. Clinical diagnosis is the gold standard for COVID-19 surveillance, but it is hard to screen presymptomatic or asymptomatic cases in those who have not exhibited symptoms. Since presymptomatic or asymptomatic individuals are infectious, it is urgent to establish a surveillance system based on other tools that can profile the entire population. Infected people including those who are symptomatic, presymptomatic, and asymptomatic shed SARS-CoV-2 RNA in feces and thereby endow wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) with an early-warning ability for mass COVID-19 surveillance. In the context of China's "COVID-zero" strategy, this work intends to discuss the practical feasibility of WBE applications as an early warning and disease surveillance system in hopes that WBE together with clinical testing would cost-effectively restrain sporadic COVID-19 outbreaks in China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Zhang
- College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350116, China.
| | - Kongquan Zhu
- College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350116, China
| | - Weiyi Huang
- College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350116, China
| | - Zhixuan Guo
- College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350116, China
| | - Senhua Jiang
- College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350116, China
| | - Chujun Zheng
- College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350116, China
| | - Yang Yu
- Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, PR China.
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8
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Sensitive determination of illicit drugs in wastewater using enrichment bag-based liquid-phase microextraction and liquid-chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. J Chromatogr A 2021; 1661:462684. [PMID: 34875518 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2021.462684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
To concentrate trace level of analytes in complex wastewater, sample preparation is necessary prior to instrumental analysis. In this work, an enrichment bag-based liquid-phase microextraction (EB-LPME) system was therefore proposed for the first time to isolate and enrich the illicit drugs (amphetamine, methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), ketamine, codeine and fentanyl) from wastewater. Under the optimum EB-LPME conditions, the recoveries of the model illicit drugs were 40-93% with enrichment factors up to 93. The optimized EB-LPME was compared to hollow fiber-LPME (HF-LPME) in terms of the thickness of the supported liquid membrane (SLM), the effective SLM area, extraction recovery and mass transfer flux. Compared with HF-LPME, EB-LPME possesses larger effective SLM area, and provided higher extraction recovery. In addition, EB-LPME provided larger mass transfer flux than HF-LPME, which was mainly due to the differences in SLM thickness. Therefore, SLM thickness was identified as the main mass transfer flux-determining factor experimentally. The matrix effect of EB-LPME was evaluated using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and excellent sample clean-up was confirmed. Subsequently, EB-LPME-LC-MS/MS was validated with satisfactory results, and the detection of limit of the proposed method was in the range of 0.3-8.7 ng/L. Finally, with standard addition method, EB-LPME-LC-MS/MS was successfully applied for the determination of the model drugs in a local hospital wastewater from Wuhan, China. This study clearly showed that EB-LPME displayed great potential as an efficient sample preparation method for isolation and enrichment of the drugs/pollutants from complex environmental samples for wastewater-based epidemiology in the near future.
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9
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Wang Z, Zheng Q, Gartner C, Chan GCK, Ren Y, Wang D, Thai PK. Comparison of tobacco use in a university town and a nearby urban area in China by intensive analysis of wastewater over one year period. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 206:117733. [PMID: 34653796 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Understanding smoking patterns in the population is essential for formulating public health and tobacco control policies. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a valuable complementary approach to conventional survey methods to measure tobacco use, providing non-invasive information in an objective and cost-effective manner. This study estimates tobacco use in an urban population at daily resolution and in a university town at weekly resolution in China. Wastewater samples were collected daily in an urban catchment (n = 279) and every week from a university town located within 13 km of the urban catchment (n = 43) in 2017-2018. The tobacco-related biomarkers, cotinine and hydroxycotinine, and nicotine were analyzed via direct injection liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Per capita daily tobacco use was back-estimated based on cotinine in wastewater. Over the year of sampling, we observed an increasing trend in tobacco use in the urban catchment that corroborated with sales statistics in 2017-2018. Tobacco use in the urban area was estimated to be 1.16 cigarettes/person aged 15+/day, while it was estimated to be 0.60 cigarettes/person aged 15+/day in the university town. The level of tobacco use in the university town remained stable over the year in contrast to the urban area. The difference of tobacco use in the two catchments may be attributed to their demographic differences. Furthermore, the Tobacco-Free Campus Policy would be a possible reason for the lower level of tobacco use in the university town.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Wang
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Brisbane 4102, Australia; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, No. 1 Linghai Road, Dalian 116026, China
| | - Qiuda Zheng
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Brisbane 4102, Australia.
| | - Coral Gartner
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Brisbane 4102, Australia; NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence on Achieving the Tobacco Endgame, School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland 4006, Australia
| | - Gary C K Chan
- Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Yuan Ren
- School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Higher Education Mega Center, Panyu District, Guangzhou 510006, China.
| | - Degao Wang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, No. 1 Linghai Road, Dalian 116026, China
| | - Phong K Thai
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Brisbane 4102, Australia
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Sulej-Suchomska AM, Klupczynska A, Dereziński P, Matysiak J, Przybyłowski P, Kokot ZJ. Urban wastewater analysis as an effective tool for monitoring illegal drugs, including new psychoactive substances, in the Eastern European region. Sci Rep 2020; 10:4885. [PMID: 32184422 PMCID: PMC7078280 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-61628-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of illicit drugs causes unquestionable societal and economic damage. To implement actions aimed at combating drug abuse, it is necessary to assess illicit drug consumption patterns. The purpose of this paper was to develop, optimize, validate and apply a procedure for determining new psychoactive substances (NPSs) and classic drugs of abuse and their main metabolites in wastewater samples by using solid phase extraction (SPE) and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). Moreover, detailed validation of the procedure was conducted. The developed SPE–HPLC-MS/MS procedure (within the sewage-based epidemiology strategy) allowed for the simultaneous, selective, very sensitive, accurate (recoveries ≥ 80.1%) and precise (CV ≤ 8.1%) determination of new and classic psychoactive substances in wastewater samples. This study is characterized by new scientific elements, especially in terms of the freeze-thaw and post-preparative stability of the selected psychoactive substances. This is the first time that NPSs (mephedrone and ketamine), the main metabolites of heroin (6-acetylmorphine, 6-AM) and marijuana (11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, THC-COOH) have been detected and monitored in Poland. This study is also the first to corroborate the data available from the EMCDDA and EUROPOL report and indicates that the retail market for cocaine is expanding in Eastern Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Maria Sulej-Suchomska
- Gdynia Maritime University, Faculty of Entrepreneurship and Quality Science, Department of Commodity and Quality Science, 81-87, Morska Str., 81-225, Gdynia, Poland.
| | - Agnieszka Klupczynska
- Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, 6, Grunwaldzka Str., 60-780, Poznań, Poland
| | - Paweł Dereziński
- Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, 6, Grunwaldzka Str., 60-780, Poznań, Poland
| | - Jan Matysiak
- Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, 6, Grunwaldzka Str., 60-780, Poznań, Poland
| | - Piotr Przybyłowski
- Gdynia Maritime University, Faculty of Entrepreneurship and Quality Science, Department of Commodity and Quality Science, 81-87, Morska Str., 81-225, Gdynia, Poland
| | - Zenon J Kokot
- Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, 6, Grunwaldzka Str., 60-780, Poznań, Poland
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11
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Zhang X, Huang R, Li P, Ren Y, Gao J, Mueller JF, Thai PK. Temporal profile of illicit drug consumption in Guangzhou, China monitored by wastewater-based epidemiology. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2019; 26:23593-23602. [PMID: 31203544 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-05575-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2019] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been widely used as a complementary method for estimating consumption of illicit drugs in the population. Temporal drug consumption estimates derived from WBE can provide important information for law enforcement and public health authorities in understanding changes in supply and demand of illicit drugs, but currently lacking in China. In this study, influent wastewater samples from a municipal sewage treatment plant in Guangzhou, China were collected for 8 weeks to investigate the temporal change in consumption of six illicit drugs in the catchment. The results indicated that methamphetamine and ketamine were the dominant illicit drugs in Guangzhou with the per capita use of 14.7-470.7 mg/day/1000 people and 64.9-673.7 mg/day/1000 people, respectively. No distinct weekly patterns were observed for illicit drug consumption in Guangzhou, indicating that drug users are likely to be regular ones. Further assessment about the impact of public holidays on the consumption behavior of drugs showed little impact for ketamine (p = 0.689), but higher consumptions of methamphetamine (p = 0.003) and cocaine (p = 0.027) were observed during public holidays than the control period. The considerable decrease in drug consumption observed in October 2017 compared with January and May 2017 was possibly the consequence of law enforcement action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohan Zhang
- School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Higher Education Mega Center, Panyu District, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Riheng Huang
- Guangzhou Sewage Purification Co., Ltd, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Ping Li
- School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Higher Education Mega Center, Panyu District, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuan Ren
- School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Higher Education Mega Center, Panyu District, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China.
- The Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China.
- The Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Eco-Remediation of Guangdong Regular Higher Education Institutions, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jianfa Gao
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Science (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4102, Australia.
| | - Jochen F Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Science (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4102, Australia
| | - Phong K Thai
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Science (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4102, Australia
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Feng Q, Liu S, Mao Z, Xu J, Wang Z, Le XC. Cover features and new Associate Editors of the Journal of Environmental Sciences. J Environ Sci (China) 2016; 48:1-5. [PMID: 27745653 DOI: 10.1016/j.jes.2016.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Qingcai Feng
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Suqin Liu
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Zhengang Mao
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Jian Xu
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Zixuan Wang
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - X Chris Le
- Division of Analytical and Environmental Toxicology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G3, Canada.
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