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Nadarajan D, O'Brien J, Cresswell S, Kele B, Mueller J, Bade R. Application of design of experiment for quantification of 71 new psychoactive substances in influent wastewater. Anal Chim Acta 2024; 1321:343036. [PMID: 39155095 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2024.343036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2024] [Revised: 07/25/2024] [Accepted: 07/28/2024] [Indexed: 08/20/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND New psychoactive substances (NPS) are of public health concern due to their sporadic proliferation and the dearth of information on toxicity when consumed. In addition to seized data from forensic and toxicology reporting, wastewater analysis serves as a complimentary tool for NPS surveillance. A method to detect 71 NPS by simple filtration followed by liquid-chromatography tandem mass spectrometry was developed to detect multiclass NPS consisting of arylcyclohexylamines, designer benzodiazepines, synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic opioids, phenethylamines, synthetic cathinones, tryptamines, and indole alkaloids. RESULTS In this work, the influential factors for electrospray ionisation were identified and optimised using the fractional factorial design and face-centred central composite design, respectively. The filtration loss during sample clean-up was assessed for all compounds. The final method was validated and applied to wastewater collected from a music festival held in Queensland in 2022. The validated method had linearity between 0.5 ng L-1 and 5000 ng L-1, the limit of quantification (LOQ) ranges from 0.6 ng L-1 to 70 ng L-1, precision within ±20 %, accuracy ranges from 70 % to 120 %, and matrix effect ranges from soft (0 %-20 %) to medium (20 %-50 %) for the majority of the compounds. NPS detected in the festival were 2-fluorodeschloroketamine, 7-hydroxymitragynine, mitragynine, N,N-dimethylpentylone, pentylone, phenibut, and O-desmethyltramadol. SIGNIFICANCE Systematic electrospray ionisation optimisation using the design of experiment for a large method is practical and provides in-depth chemical information on studied compounds. The optimised method demonstrated the applicability of analysing samples collected from a festival in this work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhayaalini Nadarajan
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woollsiana, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jake O'Brien
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woollsiana, Queensland, Australia; Van't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Sarah Cresswell
- School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia
| | - Ben Kele
- Arris Pty Ltd, 44 Wenworth Terrace, Rockhampton, QLD, 4700, Australia
| | - Jochen Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woollsiana, Queensland, Australia
| | - Richard Bade
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woollsiana, Queensland, Australia.
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2
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Lin HHH, Wang YH, Liu JIWW, Hsieh MC, Huang SJ, Lien E, Huang LW, Lin AYC. Evaluation of spatial and temporal changes in illicit drug use in the Taipei metropolitan area via wastewater-based epidemiology. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 934:173313. [PMID: 38761952 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173313] [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: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
Taiwan, identified as pivotal in the Asian drug trafficking chain, has been experiencing a surge in illicit drug-related issues. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has emerged as a promising approach for comprehensive evaluation of actual illicit drug usage. This study presents the first WBE investigation of illicit drug consumption in Taiwan based on the analysis of wastewater from four wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the Taipei metropolitan area. Additionally, it demonstrates a high correlation between the amounts of illicit drugs seized and influent concentrations over an extended period of time. The reliability of solid-phase extraction and analysis via high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was validated for 16 illicit drugs (methamphetamine, ketamine, cocaine, codeine, methadone, morphine, meperidine, fentanyl, sufentanil, para-methoxyamphetamine (PMA), para-methoxymethamphetamine (PMMA), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), cathinone, methcathinone, mephedrone (MEPH), and 4-methylethcathinone (4-MEC)). Methamphetamine, ketamine, and 4-MEC were consistently detected in all wastewater samples, underscoring their prevalence in the Taipei metropolitan area. Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and ammonia nitrogen (ammonia N) were employed to reduce uncertainty in estimations of population size during back-calculation of illicit drug consumption. The results indicate that methamphetamine was the most consumed drug (175-740 mg day-1 1000 people-1), followed by ketamine (22-280 mg day-1 1000 people-1). In addition, urban-related WWTPs exhibited higher consumption of methamphetamine and ketamine than did the suburban-related WWTP, indicating distinct illicit drug usage patterns between suburban and urban regions. Moreover, an examination of temporal trends in wastewater from the Dihua WWTP revealed a persistent predominance of ketamine and methamphetamine, consistent with statistical data pertaining to seizure quantities and urine test results. The study provides encouraging insight into spatial and temporal variations in illicit drug usage in the Taipei metropolitan area, emphasizing the complementary role of WBE in understanding trends in illicit drug abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hank Hui-Hsiang Lin
- Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, 71, Chou-Shan Rd., Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Hsiang Wang
- Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, 71, Chou-Shan Rd., Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Jennifer Ia Wen Wen Liu
- Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, 71, Chou-Shan Rd., Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Chi Hsieh
- Department of Occupational Safety and Health, China Medical University, Taichung 406040, Taiwan
| | - Shu-Jie Huang
- Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, 71, Chou-Shan Rd., Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - En Lien
- Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, 71, Chou-Shan Rd., Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Li-Wei Huang
- New Taipei Branch, Administrative Enforcement Agency, Ministry of Justice, New Taipei City 242030, Taiwan
| | - Angela Yu-Chen Lin
- Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, 71, Chou-Shan Rd., Taipei 106, Taiwan.
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3
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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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4
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Salgueiro-Gonzalez N, Béen F, Bijlsma L, Boogaerts T, Covaci A, Baz-Lomba JA, Kasprzyk-Hordern B, Matias J, Ort C, Bodík I, Heath E, Styszko K, Emke E, Hernández F, van Nuijs ALN, Castiglioni S. Influent wastewater analysis to investigate emerging trends of new psychoactive substances use in Europe. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 254:121390. [PMID: 38430760 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121390] [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: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) can provide objective and timely information on the use of new psychoactive substances (NPS), originally designed as legal alternatives of internationally controlled drugs. NPS have rapidly emerged on the global drug market, posing a challenge to drug policy and constituting a risk to public health. In this study, a WBE approach was applied to monitor the use of more than 300 NPS, together with fentanyl and its main metabolite norfentanyl, in influent wastewater collected from 12 European cities during March-June 2021. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of NPS in composite 24 h influent wastewater samples were based on solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. In-sample stability tests demonstrated the suitability of most investigated biomarkers, except for a few synthetic opioids, synthetic cannabinoids and phenetylamines. Fentanyl, norfentanyl and eight NPS were quantified in influent wastewater and at least three substances were found in each city, demonstrating their use in Europe. N,N-dimethyltryptamine and 3-methylmethcathinone (3-MMC) were the most common NPS found, with the latter having the highest mass loads (up to 24.8 mg/day/1000 inhabitants). Seven additional substances, belonging to five categories of NPS, were identified in different cities. Spatial trends of NPS use were observed between cities and countries, and a changing weekly profile of use was observed for 3-MMC. WBE is a useful tool to rapidly evaluate emerging trends of NPS use, complementing common indicators (i.e. population surveys, seizures) and helping to establish measures for public health protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noelia Salgueiro-Gonzalez
- Department of Environmental Health Science, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri - IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
| | - Frederic Béen
- KWR Water Research Institute, Nieuwegein, the Netherlands; Chemistry for Environment and Health, Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment (A-LIFE), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Lubertus Bijlsma
- Environmental and Public Health Analytical Chemistry, Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, Castellón, Spain
| | - Tim Boogaerts
- Toxicological Center, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Adrian Covaci
- Toxicological Center, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Jose Antonio Baz-Lomba
- Department of Infection Control and Preparedness, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway; Department of Environmental Chemistry, Norwegian Institute for Water Research, Gaustadalleen 21, Oslo N-0349, Norway
| | | | - João Matias
- European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Christoph Ort
- Eawag, Urban Water Management, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Igor Bodík
- Institute of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Slovak University of Technology, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Ester Heath
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia; International Postgraduate School Jožef Stefan, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | | | - Erik Emke
- KWR Water Research Institute, Nieuwegein, the Netherlands
| | - Félix Hernández
- Environmental and Public Health Analytical Chemistry, Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, Castellón, Spain
| | | | - Sara Castiglioni
- Department of Environmental Health Science, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri - IRCCS, Milan, Italy
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5
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Yuan S, Xiao Y, Luo R, Wang X, Xiang P. Direct injection ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the high-throughput determination of etomidate and etomidate acid in wastewater. JOURNAL OF WATER AND HEALTH 2024; 22:887-895. [PMID: 38822467 DOI: 10.2166/wh.2024.373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024]
Abstract
Etomidate (ET), a hypnotic agent used for the induction of anesthesia, is rapidly metabolized to etomidate acid (ETA) in the liver. Recently, ET has become one of the most serious alternative drugs of abuse in China. Therefore, an urgent need exists to develop a fast and convenient analysis method for monitoring ET. The current work presents a simple, fast, and sensitive direct injection method for the determination of ET and ETA in wastewater. After the optimization of the ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and sample filtration conditions, the method exhibited satisfactory limits of detection (1 ng/L) and good filtration loss. The validated method was successfully applied to determine the concentrations of ET and ETA in wastewater samples (n = 245) from several wastewater treatment plants in China. The concentrations of the targets in positive samples ranged from less than the lower limits of quantitation to 47.71 ng/L. The method can meet ET monitoring and high-throughput analysis requirements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Yuan
- Department of Forensic Toxicology, Academy of Forensic Science, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Science Platform, Key Laboratory of Forensic Sciences, Ministry of Justice, Shanghai 200063, China
| | - Yue Xiao
- Department of Forensic Toxicology, Academy of Forensic Science, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Science Platform, Key Laboratory of Forensic Sciences, Ministry of Justice, Shanghai 200063, China; School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
| | - Ruxin Luo
- Department of Forensic Toxicology, Academy of Forensic Science, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Science Platform, Key Laboratory of Forensic Sciences, Ministry of Justice, Shanghai 200063, China
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Forensic Toxicology, Academy of Forensic Science, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Science Platform, Key Laboratory of Forensic Sciences, Ministry of Justice, Shanghai 200063, China
| | - Ping Xiang
- Department of Forensic Toxicology, Academy of Forensic Science, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Science Platform, Key Laboratory of Forensic Sciences, Ministry of Justice, Shanghai 200063, China E-mail:
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6
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Bade R, Huchthausen J, Huber C, Dewapriya P, Tscharke BJ, Verhagen R, Puljevic C, Escher BI, O'Brien JW. Improving wastewater-based epidemiology for new psychoactive substance surveillance by combining a high-throughput in vitro metabolism assay and LC-HRMS metabolite identification. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 253:121297. [PMID: 38354662 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121297] [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: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
One of the primary criteria for a suitable drug biomarker for wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is having a unique source representing human metabolism. For WBE studies, this means it is important to identify and monitor metabolites rather than parent drugs, to capture consumption of drugs and not fractions that could be directly disposed. In this study, a high-throughput workflow based on a human liver S9 fraction in vitro metabolism assay was developed to identify human transformation products of new chemicals, using α-pyrrolidino-2-phenylacetophenone (α-D2PV) as a case study. Analysis by liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry identified four metabolites. Subsequently, a targeted liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for their analysis in wastewater samples collected from a music festival in Australia. The successful application of this workflow opens the door for future work to better understand the metabolism of chemicals and their detection and application for wastewater-based epidemiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Bade
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Australia.
| | | | - Carolin Huber
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Pradeep Dewapriya
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Australia
| | - Benjamin J Tscharke
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Australia
| | - Rory Verhagen
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Australia
| | - Cheneal Puljevic
- School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Beate I Escher
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Australia; Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jake W O'Brien
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Australia; Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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7
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Ribeiro O, Ribeiro C, Félix L, Gaivão I, Carrola JS. Effects of acute metaphedrone exposure on the development, behaviour, and DNA integrity of zebrafish (Danio rerio). ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:49567-49576. [PMID: 36781667 PMCID: PMC10104909 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-25233-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Abstract
The presence of new psychoactive substances (NPS), like metaphedrone (3-MMC), in aquatic environments raises concern about the potential negative effects on ichthyofauna. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the potential effects of 3-MMC on zebrafish embryonic development, behaviour, and DNA integrity. For that, embryos were exposed during 96 h post-fertilization to 3-MMC (0.1, 1, 10, and 100 µg/L). Overall, an increase in the eye area of zebrafish larvae was observed for the concentrations of 1 μg/L (increase of 24%) and 100 μg/L (increase of 25%) in comparison with the control group. Genetic damage was noted at the highest concentration (100 µg/L) with an increase of DNA damage (increase of 48%) and hyperactivity and disorganised swimming pattern characterised by an increase in speed (increase of 49%), total distance moved (increase of 53%), and absolute turn angle (increase of 48%) of zebrafish larvae. These findings pointed that, at environmental low levels, 3-MMC harmful effects are not expected to occur during critical development life stages of fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ondina Ribeiro
- Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), Quinta de Prados, 5000-801, Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Cláudia Ribeiro
- TOXRUN-Toxicology Research Unit, University Institute of Health Sciences, CESPU, 4585-116, Gandra, CRL, Portugal
- Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), University of Porto, Edifício Do Terminal de Cruzeiros Do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos S/N, 4050-208, Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Luís Félix
- Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), Quinta de Prados, 5000-801, Vila Real, Portugal
- Inov4Agro, Institute for Innovation, Capacity Building and Sustainability of Agri-Food Production, Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Isabel Gaivão
- Veterinary and Animal Research Centre (CECAV), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801, Vila Real, Portugal
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801, Vila Real, Portugal
| | - João Soares Carrola
- Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), Quinta de Prados, 5000-801, Vila Real, Portugal.
- Inov4Agro, Institute for Innovation, Capacity Building and Sustainability of Agri-Food Production, Vila Real, Portugal.
- Department of Biology and Environment (DeBA/ECVA), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, CITAB, Vila Real, Portugal.
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8
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Gagliano E, Biondi D, Roccaro P. Wastewater-based epidemiology approach: The learning lessons from COVID-19 pandemic and the development of novel guidelines for future pandemics. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 313:137361. [PMID: 36427570 PMCID: PMC9678975 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.137361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) provides a comprehensive real-time framework of population attitude and health status. This approach is attracting the interest of medical community and health authorities to monitor the prevalence of a virus (such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, SARS-CoV-2) among a community. Indeed, WBE is currently fine-tuning as environmental surveillance tool for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. After a bibliometric analysis conducted to discover the research trends in WBE field, this work aimed to side-by-side compare the conventional method based on clinical testing with WBE approach. Furthermore, novel guidelines were developed to apply the WBE approach to a pandemic. The growing interest on WBE approach for COVID-19 pandemic is demonstrated by looking at the sharp increase in scientific papers published in the last years and at the ongoing studies on viral quantification methods and analytical procedures. The side-by-side comparison highlighted the ability of WBE to identify the hot-spot areas faster than the conventional approach, reducing the costs (e.g., rational use of available resources) and the gatherings at medical centers. Contrary to clinical testing, WBE has the surveillance capacity for preventing the virus resurgence, including asymptomatic contribution, and ensuring the preservation of medical staff health by avoiding the exposure to the virus infection during clinical testing. As extensively reported, the time in collecting epidemiological data is crucial for establishing the prevention and mitigation measures that are essential for curbing a pandemic. The developed guidelines can help to build a WBE system useful to control any future pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica Gagliano
- Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Catania, Catania, Italy; Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Deborah Biondi
- Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Paolo Roccaro
- Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
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9
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Sim W, Park S, Ha J, Kim D, Oh JE. Evaluation of population estimation methods for wastewater-based epidemiology in a metropolitan city. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 857:159154. [PMID: 36191710 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159154] [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: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
This study evaluated the effect of population estimation on the calculation of drug biomarker consumption using wastewater-based epidemiology. Population estimates using mobile phone data, census data, and wastewater quality parameters, such as biological oxygen demand (BOD), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP), were evaluated in six different wastewater treatment plant catchment areas of Busan Metropolitan City, South Korea. The population based on mobile phone data was affected by the patterns of non-resident population movements in each area. The population-normalized daily loads (PNDLs) of methamphetamine were compared according to the different population results. The PNDLs using the population based on mobile phone data (PNDLMobile) was 5.87-27.0 mg/d/1000 people. The PNDLMobile values were notably different from the PNDLs using wastewater quality parameters (PNDLWastewater) (PNDLWastewater/PNDLMobile: 51-148 %, mean 93 %, relative standard deviation (RSD) 36 %), indicating the unsuitability of population estimation using BOD, TN, and TP. In areas with a large concentration of workplaces, the PNDLs using census data (PNDLCensus) differed from the PNDLMobile values (PNDLCensus/PNDLMobile: 57-124 %, mean 94 %, RSD 27 %), whereas other areas showed similar values for PNDLCensus and PNDLMobile (PNDLCensus/PNDLMobile: 95-108 %, mean 102 %, RSD 4.2 %). In particular, the total population estimates of the six survey areas using census data were approximately the same as those based on mobile phone data (RSD: 0.8 %), indicating a decrease in the influence of the non-residential active population in the entire metropolitan city.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wonjin Sim
- Institute for Environment and Energy, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Suyeon Park
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Jihye Ha
- Department of Urban Planning and 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.
| | - 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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10
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Bade R, Eaglesham G, Shimko KM, Mueller J. Quantification of new psychoactive substances in Australian wastewater utilising direct injection liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Talanta 2023; 251:123767. [DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2022.123767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
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11
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Salgueiro-González N, Zuccato E, Castiglioni S. Nationwide investigation on the use of new psychoactive substances in Italy through urban wastewater analysis. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 843:156982. [PMID: 35772552 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
New psychoactive substances (NPS) emerged in the mid-2000s as a legal alternative to established illicit drugs. Despite the high individual and public harm associated to NPS, little is known about their real extent of use. New strategies are required to deal with the challenging monitoring of NPS, affected by the high number of substances available in the market, their rapid change and level of innovation, and their easy distribution mainly through the web. In this study, a wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) approach was applied for a nationwide monitoring of the use of eight categories of NPS in the population, including fentanyl analogues. Sixty-two biomarkers of NPS were selected following an established criterion, that included the most frequently and recently reported. A selective analytical method based on solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was developed and validated for NPS analysis in wastewater. Composite wastewater samples (24 h) were collected in 33 Italian cities in October-November 2020 and analyzed according the validated method. Results highlighted the use of ten NPS, mainly synthetic cathinones and tryptamines, all over Italy. Methcathinone was found in all the cities and the highest mass loads corresponded to 3-methylmethcathinone with values up to 3.8 mg/day/1000 inhabitants. Low levels of fentanyl (found in 9 cities) and its main metabolite norfentanyl (11) were found whereas no fentanyl analogues were identified. As far as we know, this is the first time that the use of fentanyl and its analogues was investigated in Italy by wastewater analysis. WBE is a useful tool to rapidly evaluate emerging trends of NPS use, complementing common indicators (i.e. population surveys, seizures) and helping to establish measures for public health protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noelia Salgueiro-González
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri - IRCCS, Department of Environmental Health Science, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy.
| | - Ettore Zuccato
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri - IRCCS, Department of Environmental Health Science, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Castiglioni
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri - IRCCS, Department of Environmental Health Science, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
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12
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Atteinte neurologique définitive dans un contexte de consommation intraveineuse de méthcathinone (éphédrone). TOXICOLOGIE ANALYTIQUE ET CLINIQUE 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxac.2022.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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13
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Hu R, Yan Y, Jiang L, Huang C, Shen X. Determination of total cathinones with a single molecularly imprinted fluorescent sensor assisted by electromembrane microextraction. Mikrochim Acta 2022; 189:324. [PMID: 35939150 DOI: 10.1007/s00604-022-05405-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
An electromembrane microextraction (EME)-assisted fluorescent molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) sensing method is presented for detecting the total cathinone drugs in urine samples. In this detection system, the clean-up ability of EME eliminated the matrix effects on both target binding with MIPs and the luminescence of the fluorophore in the sensor. Moreover, by optimizing the extraction conditions of EME, different cathinone drugs with a same concentration show a same response on the single aggregation induced emission (AIE) based MIP (AIE-MIP) sensor (λex = 360 nm, λem = 467 nm). The recoveries were 57.9% for cathinone (CAT) and 78.2% for methcathinone (MCAT). The EME-assisted "light-up" AIE-MIP sensing method displayed excellent performance with a linear range of 2.0-12.0 μmol L-1 and a linear determination coefficient (R2) of 0.99. The limit of detection (LOD) value for EME-assisted "light-up" AIE-MIP sensing method was 0.3 μmol L-1. The relative standard deviation (RSD) values for the detection were found to be within the range 2.0-12.0%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that determination of total illicit drugs with a single fluorescent MIP sensor was achieved and also the first utilization of sample preparation to tune the sensing signal of the sensor to be reported. We believe that this versatile combination of fluorescent MIP sensor and sample preparation can be used as a common protocol for sensing the total amount of a group of analytes in various fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Hu
- 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, 430030, China
| | - Yibo Yan
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, #13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Long Jiang
- 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, 430030, China
| | - Chuixiu Huang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, #13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 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, 430030, China.
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14
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Huang H, Bai Y, Zhang Y, Huang J, Qin J, Li X. Occurrence and Transformation of Ephedrine/Pseudoephedrine and Methcathinone in Wastewater in China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:10249-10257. [PMID: 35793412 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c02639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Previous wastewater-based epidemiology studies on methcathinone (MC), a controlled substance in many countries, attributed its occurrence in wastewater to its misuse. However, such attribution did not consider the possibility that MC may also come from the transformation of ephedrine (EPH) and pseudo-ephedrine (PEPH). In this work, EPH/PEPH and MC in wastewater of six major Chinese cities were systematically examined. EPH/PEPH concentrations in all the cities showed clear seasonal variations, with maximum and minimum concentrations observed in winter and summer, respectively. In contrast, MC concentrations were the lowest in winter, leading to minimum concentration ratios between MC and EPH/PEPH in winter. Lack of MC seizure in the cities suggests that MC abuse could not account for the ubiquitous detection of the substance in the wastewater of these cities. Batch experiments confirmed EPH/PEPH transformation into MC in wastewater. The significantly lower transformation rate at a lower temperature was consistent with low MC concentrations in winter. These results indicate that when monitoring MC through wastewater, EPH/PEPH concentrations must be determined simultaneously to avoid false identification of MC abuse. The observed ratios of MC to EPH/PEPH concentrations in this work may be used to determine MC abuse. Alternatively, other biomarkers (e.g., cathinone) may be considered to avoid interference from EPH/PEPH transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongmei Huang
- Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, P. R. China
| | - Ya Bai
- Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, P. R. China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Weiming Environmental Molecular Diagnostics Inc., Changshu 215500, Jiangsu Province, P.R. China
| | - Jianwen Huang
- Weiming Environmental Molecular Diagnostics Inc., Changshu 215500, Jiangsu Province, P.R. China
| | - Jun Qin
- Weiming Environmental Molecular Diagnostics Inc., Changshu 215500, Jiangsu Province, P.R. China
| | - Xiqing Li
- Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, P. R. China
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15
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Driver EM, Bowes DA, Halden RU, Conroy-Ben O. Implementing wastewater monitoring on American Indian reservations to assess community health indicators. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 823:153882. [PMID: 35304015 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Healthcare access and health-related information for American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) communities is often limited. A potential solution to acquire additional population level health data is through wastewater-derived measurements, a method termed wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), however, due to often remote locations with rudimentary wastewater infrastructure, the feasibility of implementing WBE on an AIAN reservation is unclear. In this study, we i) performed a preliminary assessment of percent connectivity of the top 10 most populous tribal reservations using available wastewater treatment facility information from the Environmental Protection Agency Enforcement and Compliance History Online database and satellite imagery, and ii) performed a sampling campaign on a select tribal reservation to measure common WBE indicators of health and behavior. Results indicate that, on average, approximately 81 ± 23% of tribal residents are connected to some form of aggregated wastewater collection system. On the sampled reservation, 6 communities comprising 7500 people were sampled across 160 km of reservation land using active samplers successfully deployed within the sewer network upstream of terminal lagoon systems. Results showed detectable levels of 7 opioids, 1 opioid maintenance medication, 5 stimulants, 1 hallucinogen, and chemical indicators of alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, and an over-the-counter cough suppressant. These results illustrated the feasibility in implementing WBE in rural and remote communities where information on community health may be lacking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin M Driver
- Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 1001 S McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ 85287, United States of America
| | - Devin A Bowes
- Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 1001 S McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ 85287, United States of America; School for the Engineering of Matter, Transport, and Energy, Arizona State University, 501 E. Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85287, United States of America
| | - Rolf U Halden
- Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 1001 S McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ 85287, United States of America; School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, 660 S Campus Dr, Tempe, AZ 85281, United States of America; OneWaterOneHealth, The Arizona State University Foundation, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 1001 S. McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ 85281, United States of America; Global Futures Laboratory, Arizona State University, 800 S. Cady Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281, United States of America
| | - Otakuye Conroy-Ben
- School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, 660 S Campus Dr, Tempe, AZ 85281, United States of America.
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16
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Han C, Tan D, Wang Y, Yu Z, Sun X, Wang D. Selective extraction of synthetic cathinones new psychoactive substances from wastewater, urine and cocktail using dummy molecularly imprinted polymers. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2022; 215:114765. [PMID: 35447493 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2022.114765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Dummy molecularly imprinted polymers (DMIPs) for selective extraction of five common synthetic cathinones (SCs) were prepared by bulk polymerization. DMIPs materials possessed narrow diameter distribution (30-60 µm) and large specific surface area (329.6 m2 g-1). Imprinting factors for cathinone, methcathinone, mephedrone, methylone and ethylone were 1.11-1.82. DMIPs could also quickly adsorb SCs from aqueous solutions within 5 min. Therefore, the materials were used as solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbents to selectively extract five SCs in complex samples. An accurate and sensitive analytical method based on DMIPs-SPE combined with HPLC-MS/MS was established. Under optimal conditions, the established method showed low limits of detection (0.002-0.1 ng mL-1), satisfactory recoveries (84.1-97.7%) and good repeatability (relative standard deviation (RSD) below 9%). The method was successfully verified using wastewater, urine and cocktail samples. Recoveries of SCs at three spiking levels were in the range of 75.1-98.6%, with RSD values below 7.0%. Compared with commercial sorbents, DMIPs showed better clean-up ability with matrix effect values of -24.1%-8.3% for all SCs in wastewater, urine and cocktail samples. Therefore, the developed DMIPs-SPE-HPLC-MS/MS strategy could be used as a specific and cost-effective method for sensitive determination of SCs in complex samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang Han
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, No. 1 Linghai Road, Dalian 116026, China
| | - Dongqin Tan
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, No. 1 Linghai Road, Dalian 116026, China.
| | - Yue Wang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, No. 1 Linghai Road, Dalian 116026, China
| | - Zhonglin Yu
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, No. 1 Linghai Road, Dalian 116026, China
| | - Xiaoli Sun
- Department of Chemistry, Lishui University, Lishui 32300, China
| | - Degao Wang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, No. 1 Linghai Road, Dalian 116026, China.
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17
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Archer E, Volschenk M, Brocker L, Wolfaardt GM. A two-year study of emerging micro-pollutants and drugs of abuse in two Western Cape wastewater treatment works (South Africa). CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 285:131460. [PMID: 34265704 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
This study evaluated the occurrence and fate of fourteen contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) at two South African wastewater treatment works (WWTW). Daily loads of the drug targets were calculated in the aqueous phase of influent- and effluent wastewater to evaluate their fate at the treatment works, along with population-normalised daily loads in raw influent wastewater to identify community-wide substance use patterns in the two study areas. Environmental risk characterisation of the CECs at WWTW effluent discharge was done using conventional risk quotient (RQ) estimations. A significant reduction of most CECs was observed at both WWTW locations, except for some that have been previously recorded to persist through various WWTW processes globally, including the illicit drug methaqualone that was reported here for the first time to evaluate its fate during wastewater treatment, substance use trends, and potential toxicological risk. Moderate-to high-RQs were estimated for several target CECs during the sampling period for both treatment facilities. The results presented here suggest the need for a multi-disciplinary approach to WWTW monitoring of CECs and highlight the need for further refinement of risk assessment approaches to mitigate recalcitrant- or pseudo-persistent CECs in wastewater discharge. Such refinement should include: (1) identifying the potential ecological risk on a wider range of sentinel indicators, (2) interaction of CECs with various biochemical pathways (including sub-lethal toxicity responses), (3) identifying the persistence and toxicological risks of breakdown products and (4) partitioning of CECs in the aqueous environment and/or bioaccumulation in freshwater biota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward Archer
- Department of Microbiology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, 7600, South Africa
| | - Mercia Volschenk
- Department of Microbiology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, 7600, South Africa; City of Cape Town Municipality, Scientific Services, Athlone, Cape Town, 7764, South Africa
| | - Ludwig Brocker
- Department of Microbiology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, 7600, South Africa
| | - Gideon M Wolfaardt
- Department of Microbiology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, 7600, South Africa; Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada.
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18
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Kuloglu Genc M, Mercan S, Yayla M, Tekin Bulbul T, Adioren C, Simsek SZ, Asicioglu F. Monitoring geographical differences in illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco consumption via wastewater-based epidemiology: Six major cities in Turkey. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 797:149156. [PMID: 34346379 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
A national wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) monitoring campaign has been initiated to determine the trends in drug consumption in Turkey since 2019. This study aimed to present the wastewater monitoring results for four periods in 2019 for six major cities with 17 wastewater treatment plants. The study investigated heroin (HER), amphetamine (AMP), methamphetamine (METH), cocaine (COC), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), cannabis, alcohol, and tobacco to understand the temporal and geographical drug consumption trends. The results indicated a trend of regular cannabis use in all the cities. Considering geographical variations, the drug usage trends were not homogeneous within the country for any of the investigated drugs, except cannabis. HER consumption was predominant in Denizli (1042.48 mg/1000 inh/day), while İzmir and Antalya (154.10 and 79.56 mg/1000 inh/day, respectively) topped for COC consumption. Aydın had the highest consumption levels of AMP (90.03 mg/1000 inh/day) and METH (358.13 mg/1000 inh/day), while MDMA consumption was the highest in Samsun (157.64 mg/1000 inh/day). Tobacco consumption was high in Aydın (8791.69 mg/1000 inh/day) and Antalya (5375.17 mg/1000 inh/day), whereas alcohol consumption was higher in Bursa than in the other cities (53434.61 mL/1000 inh/day). There were no statistically significant differences in the weekend consumption levels of the investigated drugs among these six cities. Although this study included the results of 1 year of consumption monitoring, the data confirms internationally published information on the drug trafficking routes of conventional drugs in this region, especially the Heroin-Balkan route. Results from further sampling will enable accurate evaluation of global drug consumption and trafficking, in addition to alcohol and tobacco use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merve Kuloglu Genc
- Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Institute of Forensic Sciences and Legal Medicine, Department of Science, Buyukcekmece, 34500 Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Selda Mercan
- Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Institute of Forensic Sciences and Legal Medicine, Department of Science, Buyukcekmece, 34500 Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - Murat Yayla
- Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Institute of Forensic Sciences and Legal Medicine, Department of Science, Buyukcekmece, 34500 Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Tugba Tekin Bulbul
- Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Institute of Forensic Sciences and Legal Medicine, Department of Science, Buyukcekmece, 34500 Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Cagdas Adioren
- Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Institute of Forensic Sciences and Legal Medicine, Department of Science, Buyukcekmece, 34500 Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Sumeyye Zulal Simsek
- Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Institute of Forensic Sciences and Legal Medicine, Department of Science, Buyukcekmece, 34500 Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Faruk Asicioglu
- Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Institute of Forensic Sciences and Legal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Buyukcekmece, 34500 Istanbul, Turkey
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19
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Xu L, Wang Y, Wu DF, Sun FM, Di B, Xu H, Song M, Lu YT, Hang TJ. Identification and monitoring of fentanyls-related substances in east China sewage water samples by LC-MS for drug enforcement. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 797:149109. [PMID: 34303241 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149109] [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: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Fentanyls abuse is a persistent international concern. New fentanyl derivatives are constantly appearing, circumventing national and international laws. In this study, laboratory degradation experiment with different conditions such as pH, light, temperature and oxygen availability were compared to improve the understanding of the fentanyls degradation pathways. Twelve major degradants of sufentanil and alfentanil were detected and identified together using UHPLC-QTOF-MS. A total of thirty nine fentanyls including twelve typical fentanyl new psychoactive substances, eighteen manufacturing process-related substances and nine key degradants of sufentanil and alfentanil were screened in 120 sewage water samples collected from 20 sewage water treatment plants chosen among 6 urban cities in east China from July to August in 2020 using a validated UHPLC-MS/MS method. Three fentanyls (fentanyl, sufentanil, alfentanil), seven degradants and six manufacturing process-related substances were found in the test samples. The study could provide a useful tool for the monitoring of the abuses, illegal manufacturing or pharmaceuticals related pollutions of fentanyls and their analogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Xu
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, No. 24 Tongjiaxiang Road, Nanjing 210009, China; China National Narcotics Control Commission-China Pharmaceutical University Joint Laboratory on Key Technologies of Narcotics Control, No. 24 Tongjiaxiang Road, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Ye Wang
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, No. 24 Tongjiaxiang Road, Nanjing 210009, China; China National Narcotics Control Commission-China Pharmaceutical University Joint Laboratory on Key Technologies of Narcotics Control, No. 24 Tongjiaxiang Road, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Dong-Feng Wu
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, No. 24 Tongjiaxiang Road, Nanjing 210009, China; China National Narcotics Control Commission-China Pharmaceutical University Joint Laboratory on Key Technologies of Narcotics Control, No. 24 Tongjiaxiang Road, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Fan-Mei Sun
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, No. 24 Tongjiaxiang Road, Nanjing 210009, China; China National Narcotics Control Commission-China Pharmaceutical University Joint Laboratory on Key Technologies of Narcotics Control, No. 24 Tongjiaxiang Road, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Bin Di
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, No. 24 Tongjiaxiang Road, Nanjing 210009, China; China National Narcotics Control Commission-China Pharmaceutical University Joint Laboratory on Key Technologies of Narcotics Control, No. 24 Tongjiaxiang Road, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Hui Xu
- China National Narcotics Control Commission-China Pharmaceutical University Joint Laboratory on Key Technologies of Narcotics Control, No. 24 Tongjiaxiang Road, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Min Song
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, No. 24 Tongjiaxiang Road, Nanjing 210009, China; China National Narcotics Control Commission-China Pharmaceutical University Joint Laboratory on Key Technologies of Narcotics Control, No. 24 Tongjiaxiang Road, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Yu-Ting Lu
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, No. 24 Tongjiaxiang Road, Nanjing 210009, China; China National Narcotics Control Commission-China Pharmaceutical University Joint Laboratory on Key Technologies of Narcotics Control, No. 24 Tongjiaxiang Road, Nanjing 210009, China.
| | - Tai-Jun Hang
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, No. 24 Tongjiaxiang Road, Nanjing 210009, China; China National Narcotics Control Commission-China Pharmaceutical University Joint Laboratory on Key Technologies of Narcotics Control, No. 24 Tongjiaxiang Road, Nanjing 210009, China.
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20
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Langa I, Gonçalves R, Tiritan ME, Ribeiro C. Wastewater analysis of psychoactive drugs: Non-enantioselective vs enantioselective methods for estimation of consumption. Forensic Sci Int 2021; 325:110873. [PMID: 34153554 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2021.110873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The consumption of licit and illicit psychoactive drugs (PAD) is ubiquitous in all communities and a serious public health problem. Measuring drug consumption is difficult but essential for health-care professionals, risk assessment and policymakers. Different sources of information have been used for a comprehensive analysis of drug consumption. Among them, Wastewater based epidemiology (WBE) emerged as an essential and complementary methodology for estimating licit and illicit drugs consumption. This methodology can be used for quantification of unchanged drugs or their human-specific metabolites in wastewater for estimation of consumption or screening of new PAD. Although some limitations are still being pointed out (e.g., estimation of the population size, use of suitable biomarkers or pharmacokinetics studies), the non-invasive and potential for monitoring real-time data on geographical and temporal trends in drug use have been showing its capacity as a routine and complementary tool. Chromatographic methods, both non-enantioselective and enantioselective are the analytical tools used for quantification of PAD in wastewaters and further estimation of consumption. Therefore, this manuscript aims to summarize and critically discuss the works used for wastewater analysis of PAD based on WBE using non-enantioselective and enantioselective methods for estimation of consumption. Non-enantioselective methods are among the most reported including for chiral PAD. Nevertheless, a trend has been seen towards the development of enantioselective methods as most PAD are chiral and determination of the enantiomeric fraction can provide additional information (e.g., distinction between consumption or direct disposal, or manufacture processes) and fulfill some WBE gaps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Langa
- CESPU, Instituto de Investigação e Formação Avançada em Ciências e Tecnologias da Saúde, Rua Central de Gandra, 1317, 4585-116 Gandra PRD, Portugal
| | - Ricardo Gonçalves
- CESPU, Instituto de Investigação e Formação Avançada em Ciências e Tecnologias da Saúde, Rua Central de Gandra, 1317, 4585-116 Gandra PRD, Portugal
| | - Maria Elizabeth Tiritan
- CESPU, Instituto de Investigação e Formação Avançada em Ciências e Tecnologias da Saúde, Rua Central de Gandra, 1317, 4585-116 Gandra PRD, Portugal; Laboratório de Química Orgânica e Farmacêutica, Departamento de Ciências Químicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental (CIIMAR/CIMAR), Universidade do Porto, Edifício do Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos s/n, 4050-208 Matosinhos, Portugal.
| | - Cláudia Ribeiro
- CESPU, Instituto de Investigação e Formação Avançada em Ciências e Tecnologias da Saúde, Rua Central de Gandra, 1317, 4585-116 Gandra PRD, Portugal; Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental (CIIMAR/CIMAR), Universidade do Porto, Edifício do Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos s/n, 4050-208 Matosinhos, Portugal.
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21
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Guide to Semi-Quantitative Non-Targeted Screening Using LC/ESI/HRMS. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26123524. [PMID: 34207787 PMCID: PMC8228683 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26123524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-targeted screening (NTS) with reversed phase liquid chromatography electrospray ionization high resolution mass spectrometry (LC/ESI/HRMS) is increasingly employed as an alternative to targeted analysis; however, it is not possible to quantify all compounds found in a sample with analytical standards. As an alternative, semi-quantification strategies are, or at least should be, used to estimate the concentrations of the unknown compounds before final decision making. All steps in the analytical chain, from sample preparation to ionization conditions and data processing can influence the signals obtained, and thus the estimated concentrations. Therefore, each step needs to be considered carefully. Generally, less is more when it comes to choosing sample preparation as well as chromatographic and ionization conditions in NTS. By combining the positive and negative ionization mode, the performance of NTS can be improved, since different compounds ionize better in one or the other mode. Furthermore, NTS gives opportunities for retrospective analysis. In this tutorial, strategies for semi-quantification are described, sources potentially decreasing the signals are identified and possibilities to improve NTS are discussed. Additionally, examples of retrospective analysis are presented. Finally, we present a checklist for carrying out semi-quantitative NTS.
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D'Aoust PM, Graber TE, Mercier E, Montpetit D, Alexandrov I, Neault N, Baig AT, Mayne J, Zhang X, Alain T, Servos MR, Srikanthan N, MacKenzie M, Figeys D, Manuel D, Jüni P, MacKenzie AE, Delatolla R. Catching a resurgence: Increase in SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA identified in wastewater 48 h before COVID-19 clinical tests and 96 h before hospitalizations. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021. [PMID: 33508669 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145319l] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Curtailing the Spring 2020 COVID-19 surge required sweeping and stringent interventions by governments across the world. Wastewater-based COVID-19 epidemiology programs have been initiated in many countries to provide public health agencies with a complementary disease tracking metric and non-discriminating surveillance tool. However, their efficacy in prospectively capturing resurgences following a period of low prevalence is unclear. In this study, the SARS-CoV-2 viral signal was measured in primary clarified sludge harvested every two days at the City of Ottawa's water resource recovery facility during the summer of 2020, when clinical testing recorded daily percent positivity below 1%. In late July, increases of >400% in normalized SARS-CoV-2 RNA signal in wastewater were identified 48 h prior to reported >300% increases in positive cases that were retrospectively attributed to community-acquired infections. During this resurgence period, SARS-CoV-2 RNA signal in wastewater preceded the reported >160% increase in community hospitalizations by approximately 96 h. This study supports wastewater-based COVID-19 surveillance of populations in augmenting the efficacy of diagnostic testing, which can suffer from sampling biases or timely reporting as in the case of hospitalization census.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick M D'Aoust
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Tyson E Graber
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Elisabeth Mercier
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Danika Montpetit
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Ilya Alexandrov
- ActivSignal LLC., 27 Strathmore Rd., Natick, MA 01760, United States
| | - Nafisa Neault
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Aiman Tariq Baig
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Janice Mayne
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Xu Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Tommy Alain
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa K1H 8L1, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Mark R Servos
- Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo N2L 3G1, Canada
| | | | - Malcolm MacKenzie
- ActivSignal LLC., 27 Strathmore Rd., Natick, MA 01760, United States
| | - Daniel Figeys
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1H 8M5, Canada; Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1N 6N5, Canada; Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - Douglas Manuel
- Department of Family Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Peter Jüni
- Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto M5T 3M6, Canada
| | - Alex E MacKenzie
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Robert Delatolla
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1N 6N5, Canada.
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23
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D'Aoust PM, Graber TE, Mercier E, Montpetit D, Alexandrov I, Neault N, Baig AT, Mayne J, Zhang X, Alain T, Servos MR, Srikanthan N, MacKenzie M, Figeys D, Manuel D, Jüni P, MacKenzie AE, Delatolla R. Catching a resurgence: Increase in SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA identified in wastewater 48 h before COVID-19 clinical tests and 96 h before hospitalizations. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 770:145319. [PMID: 33508669 PMCID: PMC7826013 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Revised: 01/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2021] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
Curtailing the Spring 2020 COVID-19 surge required sweeping and stringent interventions by governments across the world. Wastewater-based COVID-19 epidemiology programs have been initiated in many countries to provide public health agencies with a complementary disease tracking metric and non-discriminating surveillance tool. However, their efficacy in prospectively capturing resurgences following a period of low prevalence is unclear. In this study, the SARS-CoV-2 viral signal was measured in primary clarified sludge harvested every two days at the City of Ottawa's water resource recovery facility during the summer of 2020, when clinical testing recorded daily percent positivity below 1%. In late July, increases of >400% in normalized SARS-CoV-2 RNA signal in wastewater were identified 48 h prior to reported >300% increases in positive cases that were retrospectively attributed to community-acquired infections. During this resurgence period, SARS-CoV-2 RNA signal in wastewater preceded the reported >160% increase in community hospitalizations by approximately 96 h. This study supports wastewater-based COVID-19 surveillance of populations in augmenting the efficacy of diagnostic testing, which can suffer from sampling biases or timely reporting as in the case of hospitalization census.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick M D'Aoust
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Tyson E Graber
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Elisabeth Mercier
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Danika Montpetit
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Ilya Alexandrov
- ActivSignal LLC., 27 Strathmore Rd., Natick, MA 01760, United States
| | - Nafisa Neault
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Aiman Tariq Baig
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Janice Mayne
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Xu Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Tommy Alain
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa K1H 8L1, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Mark R Servos
- Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo N2L 3G1, Canada
| | | | - Malcolm MacKenzie
- ActivSignal LLC., 27 Strathmore Rd., Natick, MA 01760, United States
| | - Daniel Figeys
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1H 8M5, Canada; Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1N 6N5, Canada; Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - Douglas Manuel
- Department of Family Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Peter Jüni
- Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto M5T 3M6, Canada
| | - Alex E MacKenzie
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Robert Delatolla
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1N 6N5, Canada.
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24
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Castiglioni S, Salgueiro-González N, Bijlsma L, Celma A, Gracia-Lor E, Beldean-Galea MS, Mackuľak T, Emke E, Heath E, Kasprzyk-Hordern B, Petkovic A, Poretti F, Rangelov J, Santos MM, Sremački M, Styszko K, Hernández F, Zuccato E. New psychoactive substances in several European populations assessed by wastewater-based epidemiology. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 195:116983. [PMID: 33721674 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.116983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) can be a useful tool to face some of the existing challenges in monitoring the use of new psychoactive substances (NPS), as it can provide objective and updated information. This Europe-wide study aimed to verify the suitability of WBE for investigating the use of NPS. Selected NPS were monitored in urban wastewater by high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The main classical illicit drugs were monitored in the same samples to compare their levels with those of NPS. Raw composite wastewater samples were collected in 2016 and 2017 in 14 European countries (22 cities) following best practice sampling protocols. Methcathinone was most frequent (>65% of the cities), followed by mephedrone (>25% of the cities), and only mephedrone, methcathinone and methylone were found in both years. This study depicts the use of NPS in Europe, confirming that it is much lower than the use of classical drugs. WBE proved able to assess the qualitative and quantitative spatial and temporal profiles of NPS use. The results show the changeable nature of the NPS market and the importance of large WBE monitoring campaigns for selected priority NPS. WBE is valuable for complementing epidemiological studies to follow rapidly changing profiles of use of drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Castiglioni
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Department of Environmental Sciences, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156, Milan, Italy.
| | - Noelia Salgueiro-González
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Department of Environmental Sciences, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156, Milan, Italy
| | - Lubertus Bijlsma
- Environmental and Public Health Analytical Chemistry, Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, 12071 Castellón, Spain
| | - Alberto Celma
- Environmental and Public Health Analytical Chemistry, Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, 12071 Castellón, Spain
| | - Emma Gracia-Lor
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Department of Environmental Sciences, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156, Milan, Italy; Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Tomáš Mackuľak
- Institute of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology, Radlinského 2101/9, 812 37 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Erik Emke
- KWR Water Research Institute, P.O. Box 1072, 3430 BB, Nieuwegein, The Netherlands
| | - Ester Heath
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova cesta 39, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | | | | | - Francesco Poretti
- Consorzio Depurazione Acque Lugano e Dintorni, Via Molinazzo 1, 6934 Bioggio, Switzerland
| | | | - Miguel M Santos
- CIMAR/CIIMAR - LA, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, Group of Endocrine Disruptors and Emerging Contaminants, FCUP, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Maja Sremački
- University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Department of Environmental Engineering and Occupational Safety and Health, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Katarzyna Styszko
- AGH University of Science and Technology, Department of Coal Chemistry and Environmental Sciences, Al. Mickiewicza 30, Krakow, Poland
| | - Felix Hernández
- Environmental and Public Health Analytical Chemistry, Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, 12071 Castellón, Spain
| | - Ettore Zuccato
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Department of Environmental Sciences, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156, Milan, Italy
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25
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Liu SY, Yu WJ, Wang YR, Shao XT, Wang DG. Tracing consumption patterns of stimulants, opioids, and ketamine in China by wastewater-based epidemiology. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:16754-16766. [PMID: 33394399 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-12035-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Illicit drug use has long been a key issue of international concern, and the true situation is unknown to the relevant authorities. To develop a profile of comprehensive consumption patterns of illicit drugs in China, data from 34 wastewater treatment plants in 25 cities were collected to analyze four classes of drugs, including amphetamine-type stimulants, opioids, ketamine, and cocaine. They were identified and quantified in samples using methods based on gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. According to the wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) approach, an analysis of the consumption pattern was performed regarding per inhabitant consumption based on the revised metabolic rate. The consumption quantity of illicit drug and precursor was divided into four categories based on statistical difference analyses: methamphetamine and ephedrine (precursor) were the predominant drugs in the first category, followed by ketamine and heroin in the second category, methcathinone and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in the third category, and cocaine and methadone in the fourth category. There were distinctive spatial patterns: heroin and cocaine consumption was higher in Southern China than in Northern China, heroin consumption was higher in Western China than in Eastern China, and the consumption of each drug differed across seven regions of China, especially with ephedrine and methcathinone consumption higher in North China; heroin consumption higher in Southwest, Central, and Northwest China; and ketamine and MDMA consumption higher in East, South, and Central China. Compared with findings in previous studies, there were temporal patterns, in which ketamine consumption presented a downward trend but heroin remained stable. Based on correlation analyses, there were the polydrug abuse patterns between heroin and cocaine, methcathinone and ketamine, and cocaine and MDMA. In general, this study based on WBE provides a comprehensive evaluation of drug consumption in China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Si-Yu Liu
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, No. 1 Linghai Road, Dalian, China
| | - Wen-Jing Yu
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, No. 1 Linghai Road, Dalian, China
| | - Yi-Ru Wang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, No. 1 Linghai Road, Dalian, China
| | - Xue-Ting Shao
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, No. 1 Linghai Road, Dalian, China
| | - De-Gao Wang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, No. 1 Linghai Road, Dalian, China.
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26
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Bade R, White JM, Chen J, Baz-Lomba JA, Been F, Bijlsma L, Burgard DA, Castiglioni S, Salgueiro-Gonzalez N, Celma A, Chappell A, Emke E, Steenbeek R, Wang D, Zuccato E, Gerber C. International snapshot of new psychoactive substance use: Case study of eight countries over the 2019/2020 new year period. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 193:116891. [PMID: 33582495 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.116891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
There is considerable concern around the use of new psychoactive substances (NPS), but still little is known about how much they are really consumed. Analysis by forensics laboratories of seized drugs and post-mortem samples as well as hospital emergency rooms are the first line of identifying both 'new' NPS and those that are most dangerous to the community. However, NPS are not necessarily all seized by law enforcement agencies and only substances that contribute to fatalities or serious afflictions are recorded in post-mortem and emergency room samples. To gain a better insight into which NPS are most prevalent within a community, complementary data sources are required. In this work, influent wastewater was analysed from 14 sites in eight countries for a variety of NPS. All samples were collected over the 2019/2020 New Year period, a time which is characterized by celebrations and parties and therefore a time when more NPS may be consumed. Samples were extracted in the country of origin following a validated protocol and shipped to Australia for final analysis using two different mass spectrometric strategies. In total, more than 200 were monitored of which 16 substances were found, with geographical differences seen. This case study is the most comprehensive wastewater analysis study ever carried out for the identification of NPS and provides a starting point for future, ongoing monitoring of these substances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Bade
- Health and Biomedical Innovation, UniSA: Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide 5001, South Australia, Australia
| | - Jason M White
- Health and Biomedical Innovation, UniSA: Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide 5001, South Australia, Australia
| | - Jingjing Chen
- Health and Biomedical Innovation, UniSA: Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide 5001, South Australia, Australia
| | | | - Frederic Been
- KWR Water Research Institute, 3433 PE Nieuwegein, the Netherlands
| | - Lubertus Bijlsma
- Environmental and Public Health Analytical Chemistry, Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, Avda, Sos Baynat s/n, E-12071 Castellón, Spain
| | - Daniel A Burgard
- Department of Chemistry, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA 98416, United States
| | - Sara Castiglioni
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Department of Environmental Sciences, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156, Milan Italy
| | - Noelia Salgueiro-Gonzalez
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Department of Environmental Sciences, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156, Milan Italy
| | - Alberto Celma
- Environmental and Public Health Analytical Chemistry, Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, Avda, Sos Baynat s/n, E-12071 Castellón, Spain
| | - Andrew Chappell
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited (ESR), Christchurch Science Centre: 27 Creyke Road, Ilam, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
| | - Erik Emke
- KWR Water Research Institute, 3433 PE Nieuwegein, the Netherlands
| | - Ruud Steenbeek
- KWR Water Research Institute, 3433 PE Nieuwegein, the Netherlands
| | - Degao Wang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, No. 1 Linghai Road, Dalian, P. R. China, 116026
| | - Ettore Zuccato
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Department of Environmental Sciences, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156, Milan Italy
| | - Cobus Gerber
- Health and Biomedical Innovation, UniSA: Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide 5001, South Australia, Australia.
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27
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Daglioglu N, Guzel EY, Atasoy A, Gören İE. Comparison of community illicit drug use in 11 cities of Turkey through wastewater-based epidemiology. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:15076-15089. [PMID: 33226555 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-11404-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is an ever-increasing discipline that enables researchers to track near-real-time data concerning the recreational use of illicit drugs. Community illicit drug use was estimated in eleven Turkish cities, using eighteen wastewater treatment plants, representing the metropolitan cities and rural areas with different socio-demographic characteristics. In this study, 24-h composite influent wastewater samples were collected for 1 week per season between March 2019 and December 2019. Heroin, amphetamine, methamphetamine, ecstasy, cocaine, and marijuana were covered as illicit drugs in this study. Solid-phase extraction, LC-MS/MS separation, identification, and quantification were used as the analytical methods. Overall results indicate that both cocaine and MDMA usage increased in all cities on weekends. More specifically, it was observed that the average amount of cocaine use regarding 11 cities was 14.7 mg/1000 person/day, while figures for other substances are as follows: 9.5 for amphetamine, 34.5 for methamphetamine, 38.4 for MDMA, 42.2 for heroin, and lastly 5412 mg/1000p/day for marijuana. This study holds the position of being the most comprehensive one conducted, considering spatial and temporal datasets on illicit drug consumption obtained via WBE in Turkey.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nebile Daglioglu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, Cukurova University, 01330, Adana, Turkey.
| | - Evsen Yavuz Guzel
- Faculty of Fisheries, Department of Basic Science, Cukurova University, 01330, Adana, Turkey
| | - Aslı Atasoy
- Institute of Addiction and Forensic Science, Cukurova University, 01330, Adana, Turkey
| | - İsmail Ethem Gören
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, Cukurova University, 01330, Adana, Turkey
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28
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Investigation of Biotransformation Products of p-Methoxymethylamphetamine and Dihydromephedrone in Wastewater by High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry. Metabolites 2021; 11:metabo11020066. [PMID: 33503865 PMCID: PMC7912097 DOI: 10.3390/metabo11020066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Revised: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
There is a paucity of information on biotransformation and stability of new psychoactive substances (NPS) in wastewater. Moreover, the fate of NPS and their transformation products (TPs) in wastewater treatment plants is not well understood. In this study, batch reactors seeded with activated sludge were set up to evaluate biotic, abiotic, and sorption losses of p-methoxymethylamphetamine (PMMA) and dihydromephedrone (DHM) and identify TPs formed during these processes. Detection and identification of all compounds was performed with target and suspect screening approaches using liquid chromatography quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Influent and effluent 24 h composite wastewater samples were collected from Athens from 2014 to 2020. High elimination rates were found for PMMA (80%) and DHM (97%) after a seven-day experiment and degradation appeared to be related to biological activity in the active bioreactor. Ten TPs were identified and the main reactions were O- and N-demethylation, oxidation, and hydroxylation. Some TPs were reported for the first time and some were confirmed by reference standards. Identification of some TPs was enhanced by the use of an in-house retention time prediction model. Mephedrone and some of its previously reported human metabolites were formed from DHM incubation. Retrospective analysis showed that PMMA was the most frequently detected compound.
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Wang W, Guo C, Chen L, Qiu Z, Yin X, Xu J. Simultaneous enantioselective analysis of illicit drugs in wastewater and surface water by chiral LC-MS/MS: A pilot study on a wastewater treatment plant and its receiving river. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 273:116424. [PMID: 33465654 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.116424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2020] [Revised: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
An enantioselective method for quantifying amphetamine-type chiral illicit drugs (CIDs) in wastewater and surface water was developed, validated, and applied to samples from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and its effluent-receiving river in Beijing, China. Water samples were subjected to solid-phase extraction (SPE) and then quantified via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The enantioseparation of CIDs was performed with a CHIRALPAK CBH column. Chromatographic parameters, including mobile phase composition and flow rates, were tested to identify the satisfactory enantiomeric resolution. The SPE method was optimized by evaluating variables, including SPE cartridge types, extraction solvents, and solvent volumes. The Oasis HLB sorbent showed good performance with recoveries exceeding 60% and matrix effects ranging from -19.6% to 26.6% for most target enantiomers, except for norephedrine (NE), in three different aquatic matrixes. The established method was superior to previously reported methods and had a low limit of detection, low limit of quantification, and short runtime (<45 min). The repeatability and reproducibility of the method reached 19.1% and 17.8%, respectively. The method was successfully utilized to monitor the daily variations in CIDs in the influent, effluent, and effluent-receiving river of a WWTP in Beijing over 1 week. The common occurrence of 1 R,2 S-(-)-ephedrine (1 R,2 S-(-)-EPH), 1 S,2 S-(+)-pseudoephedrine (1 S,2 S-(+)-PEPH), R-(-)-methamphetamine (METH), and S-(+)-METH in wastewater samples was observed. Ephedrines (1 R,2 S-(-)-EPH and 1 S,2 S-(+)-PEPH) were the most abundant CIDs in the influent, effluent, upstream, and downstream samples with concentrations of 725.8 ± 181.2 ng/L, 22.9 ± 4.9 ng/L, 12.96 ± 0.79 ng/L, and 11.6 ± 6.7 ng/L, respectively. METH was detectable in most water samples and was present in excess in S-enantiomer form in the influent and in R-enantiomer form in the effluent and surface water. R-(-)-MDMA was detected at a concentration of up to 2.4 ng/L in the influent. The metabolites norketamine (NK), amphetamine(AMP), MDA, and NE were not detected in water samples given the low concentration of their parent drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weimin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Ecological Effect and Risk Assessment of Chemicals, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China; College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Changsheng Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Ecological Effect and Risk Assessment of Chemicals, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Like Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Ecological Effect and Risk Assessment of Chemicals, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Ziwen Qiu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Ecological Effect and Risk Assessment of Chemicals, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Xingxing Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Ecological Effect and Risk Assessment of Chemicals, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China; College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Jian Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Ecological Effect and Risk Assessment of Chemicals, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China; College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
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Ng KT, Rapp-Wright H, Egli M, Hartmann A, Steele JC, Sosa-Hernández JE, Melchor-Martínez EM, Jacobs M, White B, Regan F, Parra-Saldivar R, Couchman L, Halden RU, Barron LP. High-throughput multi-residue quantification of contaminants of emerging concern in wastewaters enabled using direct injection liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2020; 398:122933. [PMID: 32768824 PMCID: PMC7456777 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.122933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Revised: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 05/10/2020] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
A rapid quantitative method for 135 contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in untreated wastewater enabled with direct injection liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry is presented. All compounds were analysed within 5 min on a short biphenyl cartridge using only 10 μL of filtered sample per injection. Up to 76 compounds were monitored simultaneously during the gradient (including mostly two transitions per compound and stable isotope-labelled analogues) while yielding >10 data points per peak. Evaluation of seven solid phase extraction sorbents showed no advantage for wastewater matrix removal. Excellent linearity, range, accuracy and precision was achieved for most compounds. Matrix effects were <11 % and detection limits were <30 ng L-1 on average. Application to untreated wastewater samples from three wastewater treatment works in the UK, USA and Mexico, enabled quantification of 56 compounds. Banned and EU 'watch-list' substances are critically discussed, including pesticides, macrolide antibiotics, diclofenac, illicit drugs as well as multiple pharmaceuticals and biocides. This high-throughput method sets a new standard for the speedy and confident determination of over a hundred CECs in wastewater at the part-per-trillion level, as demonstrated by performing over 260 injections per day.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keng Tiong Ng
- Dept. Analytical, Environmental & Forensic Sciences, King's College London, 150 Stamford Street, London, SE1 9NH, United Kingdom
| | - Helena Rapp-Wright
- Dept. Analytical, Environmental & Forensic Sciences, King's College London, 150 Stamford Street, London, SE1 9NH, United Kingdom; DCU Water Institute and School of Chemical Sciences, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland
| | - Melanie Egli
- Dept. Analytical, Environmental & Forensic Sciences, King's College London, 150 Stamford Street, London, SE1 9NH, United Kingdom
| | - Alicia Hartmann
- Dept. Analytical, Environmental & Forensic Sciences, King's College London, 150 Stamford Street, London, SE1 9NH, United Kingdom; Hochschule Fresenius, Limburger Straße 2, Idstein, Hessen, Germany
| | - Joshua C Steele
- Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 1001 S. McAllister Avenue, Tempe, AZ 85287-8101, USA; School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA; AquaVitas, LLC, 9260 E. Raintree Dr., Ste 140, Scottsdale, AZ 85260, USA
| | - Juan Eduardo Sosa-Hernández
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingenieria y Ciencias, Campus Monterrey, Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon 64849, Mexico
| | - Elda M Melchor-Martínez
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingenieria y Ciencias, Campus Monterrey, Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon 64849, Mexico
| | - Matthew Jacobs
- DCU Water Institute and School of Chemical Sciences, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland
| | - Blánaid White
- DCU Water Institute and School of Chemical Sciences, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland
| | - Fiona Regan
- DCU Water Institute and School of Chemical Sciences, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland
| | - Roberto Parra-Saldivar
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingenieria y Ciencias, Campus Monterrey, Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon 64849, Mexico
| | - Lewis Couchman
- Analytical Services International, St George's University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rolf U Halden
- Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 1001 S. McAllister Avenue, Tempe, AZ 85287-8101, USA; School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA; OneWaterOneHealth, Arizona State University Foundation, 1001 S. McAllister Avenue, Tempe, AZ 85287-8101, USA; AquaVitas, LLC, 9260 E. Raintree Dr., Ste 140, Scottsdale, AZ 85260, USA
| | - Leon P Barron
- Dept. Analytical, Environmental & Forensic Sciences, King's College London, 150 Stamford Street, London, SE1 9NH, United Kingdom; Environmental Research Group, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
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Zarei S, Salimi Y, Repo E, Daglioglu N, Safaei Z, Güzel E, Asadi A. A global systematic review and meta-analysis on illicit drug consumption rate through wastewater-based epidemiology. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2020; 27:36037-36051. [PMID: 32594443 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-09818-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a complementary, well-established comprehensive, cost-effective, and rapid technique for monitoring of illicit drugs used in a general population. This systematic review and meta-analysis is the first to estimate the rank and consumption rate of illicit drugs through WBE studies. In the current study, the related investigations regarding the illicit drug consumption rate based on WBE were searched among the international databases including Scopus, PubMed, Science direct, Google scholar, and local database, Magiran from 2012 up to May 2019. The illicit drug consumption rate with 95% confidence intervals was pooled between studies by using random effect model. The heterogeneity was determined using I2 statistics. Also, subgroup analyses were conducted to examine the possible effects of year and location of studies on observed heterogeneity. Meta-analysis of 37 articles indicates that the overall rank order of illicit drugs according to their pooled consumption rate can be summarized as tetrahydrocannabinol or cannabis (7417.9 mg/day/1000 people) > cocaine (655.7 mg/day/1000 people) > morphine (384.9 mg/day/1000 people) > methamphetamine (296.2 mg/day/1000 people) > codeine (222.7 mg/day/1000 people) > methadone (200.2 mg/day/1000 people) > 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (126.3 mg/day/1000 people) > amphetamine (118.2 mg/day/1000 people) > 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3, 3-diphenylpyrrolidine (33.7 mg/day/1000 people). The pooled level rate was 190.16 mg/day/1000 people for benzoylecgonine (main urinary cocaine metabolite), 137.9 mg/day/1000 people for 11-nor-9-carboxy-delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (main metabolite of cannabis), and 33.7 mg/day/1000 people for 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3, 3-diphenylpyrrolidine (main metabolite of methadone). The I2 values for all selected drugs were 100% (P value < 0.001). The results of year subgroup indicated that the changes of heterogeneity for all selected drugs were nearly negligible. The heterogeneity within studies based on continents subgroup just decreased in America for drugs like 11-nor-9-carboxy-delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (I2 = 24.4%) and benzoylecgonine (I2 = 94.1%). The outcome of this meta-analysis can be used for finding the illicit drugs with global serious problem in view of consumption rate (i.e., cannabis and cocaine) and helping authorities to combat them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shabnam Zarei
- Students Research Committee, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Yahya Salimi
- Social Development & Health Promotion Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Eveliina Repo
- Department of Separation Science, School of Engineering Science, LUT University, Mikkeli, Finland
| | - Nebile Daglioglu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Cukurova, 01330, Adana, Turkey
| | - Zahra Safaei
- Department of Separation Science, School of Engineering Science, LUT University, Mikkeli, Finland
| | - Evsen Güzel
- Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Fisheries, University of Cukurova, 01330, Adana, Turkey
| | - Anvar Asadi
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Research Center for Environmental Determinants of Health (RCEDH), Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
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Bijlsma L, Bade R, Been F, Celma A, Castiglioni S. Perspectives and challenges associated with the determination of new psychoactive substances in urine and wastewater - A tutorial. Anal Chim Acta 2020; 1145:132-147. [PMID: 33453874 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2020.08.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2020] [Revised: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
New psychoactive substances (NPS), often designed as (legal) substitutes to conventional illicit drugs, are constantly emerging in the drug market and being commercialized in different ways and forms. Their use continues to cause public health problems and is therefore of major concern in many countries. Monitoring NPS use, however, is arduous and different sources of information are required to get more insight of the prevalence and diffusion of NPS use. The determination of NPS in pooled urine and wastewater has shown great potential, adding a different and complementary light on this issue. However, it also presents analytical challenges and limitations that must be taken into account such as the complexity of the matrices, the high sensitivity and selectivity required in the analytical methods as a consequence of the low analyte concentrations as well as the rapid transience of NPS on the drug market creating a scenario with constantly moving analytical targets. Analytical investigation of NPS in pooled urine and wastewater is based on liquid chromatography hyphenated to mass spectrometry and can follow different strategies: target, suspect and non-target analysis. This work aims to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the different data acquisition workflows and data exploration approaches in mass spectrometry, but also pays attention to new developments such as ion mobility and the use of in-silico prediction tools to improve the identification capabilities in high-complex samples. This tutorial gives an insight into this emerging topic of current concern, and describes the experience gathered within different collaborations and projects supported by key research articles and illustrative practical examples.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Bijlsma
- Environmental and Public Health Analytical Chemistry, Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, 12071, Castellón, Spain.
| | - R Bade
- University of South Australia, UniSA: Clinical and Health Sciences, Health and Biomedical Innovation, South Australia, 5000, Australia.
| | - F Been
- KWR Water Research Institute, Chemical Water Quality and Health, 3430 BB, Nieuwegein, the Netherlands
| | - A Celma
- Environmental and Public Health Analytical Chemistry, Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, 12071, Castellón, Spain
| | - S Castiglioni
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri - IRCCS, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, 20156, Milan, Italy
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Brandeburová P, Bodík I, Horáková I, Žabka D, Castiglioni S, Salgueiro-González N, Zuccato E, Špalková V, Mackuľak T. Wastewater-based epidemiology to assess the occurrence of new psychoactive substances and alcohol consumption in Slovakia. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2020; 200:110762. [PMID: 32450441 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.110762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Revised: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Consumption of alcohol and new psychoactive substances (NPS) in a population or during special events (music festivals) is usually monitored through individual questionnaires, forensic and toxicological data, and drug seizures. However, consumption estimates have some biases due mostly to the unknown composition of drug pills for NPS and stockpiling for alcohol. The aim of this study was to evaluate for the first time the real use of alcohol and the occurrence of NPS in Slovakia by wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). Urban wastewater samples were collected from nine Slovak cities over two years (2017-2018) and during three music festivals. The study included about 20% of the Slovak population and 50 000 festival attendees. The urinary alcohol biomarker ethyl sulfate (EtS) and thirty NPS were analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC - MS/MS). EtS concentrations were used for estimating the per capita alcohol consumption in each city. The average alcohol consumption in the selected cities and festivals in 2017-2018 ranged between 7 and 126 L/day/1000 inhabitants and increased during the weekends and music festivals. Five NPS belonging to the classes of synthetic cathinones (mephedrone, methcathinone, buphedrone and pentedrone) and phenethylamines (25-iP-NBoMe) were found in the low ng/L range. Methcathinone was the most frequently detected NPS, while the highest normalized mass load corresponded to mephedrone (3.1 mg/day/1000 inhabitants). Wastewater-based epidemiology can provide timely information on alcohol consumption and NPS occurrence at the community level that is complementary to epidemiology-based monitoring techniques (e.g. population surveys, police seizures, sales statistics).
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Brandeburová
- Institute of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology, Radlinského 9, 812 37, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Igor Bodík
- Institute of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology, Radlinského 9, 812 37, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Ivana Horáková
- Institute of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology, Radlinského 9, 812 37, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Dušan Žabka
- Institute of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology, Radlinského 9, 812 37, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Sara Castiglioni
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156, Milan, Italy
| | - Noelia Salgueiro-González
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156, Milan, Italy
| | - Ettore Zuccato
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156, Milan, Italy
| | - Viera Špalková
- Department of Inorganic Technology, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology, Radlinského 9, 812 37, Bratislava, Slovakia; Department of Zoology and Fisheries, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcka 129, 165 00 Praha 6 - Suchdol, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Mackuľak
- Institute of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology, Radlinského 9, 812 37, Bratislava, Slovakia.
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Enantiomeric determination of cathinones in environmental water samples by liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry. J Chromatogr A 2020; 1626:461359. [PMID: 32797838 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2020.461359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Revised: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The enantiomeric determination of chiral drugs in the environment is of emerging concern since their enantiomers often exhibit stereoselectivity in environmental occurrence, fate and toxicity. In this study a method based on solid-phase extraction followed by chiral liquid chromatography and high-resolution mass spectrometry has been developed for the enantiomeric determination of a group of cathinones in river water and effluent wastewater. The enantioseparation was carried out using a Chiralpak CBH column in reversed-phase mode, and optimised by evaluating the effects of flow rate, buffer concentration and organic modifier. Under optimal conditions, good enantioseparations (Rs ≥1.2) were achieved for all the analytes. Two mixed-mode cation-exchange sorbents (Oasis WCX and Oasis MCX) in solid-phase extraction were evaluated in river water. Oasis MCX sorbent showed better performance with apparent recoveries ranging from 57 to 91% and matrix effect ranging from -10 to 15%. It is worth noting that a shifting of retention times and loss of enantioresolutions in environmental water samples was observed for all the analytes when the Oasis WCX sorbent was used. The method was validated with river water and effluent wastewater samples and its overall performance was satisfactory. The method quantification limits for all the analyte enantiomers ranged from 1.0 to 2.9 ng/L in river water, and from 2.3 to 6.0 ng/L in effluent wastewater. The repeatability and reproducibility values, expressed as% relative standard deviation (n = 5) were less than 15%. The method was then applied to the analysis of river water and effluent wastewater. The racemic methylone and methedrone (EF=0.49 and 0.46, respectively) were detected at low ng/L in some of the river water samples.
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Bade R, White JM, Nguyen L, Tscharke BJ, Mueller JF, O'Brien JW, Thomas KV, Gerber C. Determining changes in new psychoactive substance use in Australia by wastewater analysis. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 731:139209. [PMID: 32417485 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Revised: 05/02/2020] [Accepted: 05/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Measuring community consumption of new psychoactive substances (NPS) is notoriously difficult to assess by traditional means such as surveys and seizure data. Previously, we used the approach to demonstrate the prevalence of NPS on a national scale. In the current study we explored the temporal resolution for the analysis of NPS in wastewater from Australia. Samples covering all States and Territories in Australia and both metropolitan and regional areas and were collected bimonthly from October 2017-June 2018 and October 2019-February 2020. A qualitative screening method was applied, screening for 201 NPS. In total, 15 substances were found from a variety of classes of NPS. The most prevalent class was synthetic cathinones, with pentylone, N-ethylpentylone and ethylone found in all periods in at least one site in the earlier sampling period, as well as the amphetamine-like paramethoxyamphetamine (PMA). In the latter period, synthetic cathinones were also the most prevalent, including eutylone, marking the first time that this compound has been detected in wastewater. This study shows the application of wastewater analysis to detect outbreaks of NPS use and temporal differences among sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Bade
- University of South Australia, UniSA: Clinical and Health Sciences, Health and Biomedical Innovation, Adelaide 5000, South Australia, Australia
| | - Jason M White
- University of South Australia, UniSA: Clinical and Health Sciences, Health and Biomedical Innovation, Adelaide 5000, South Australia, Australia
| | - Lynn Nguyen
- University of South Australia, UniSA: Clinical and Health Sciences, Health and Biomedical Innovation, Adelaide 5000, South Australia, Australia
| | - Benjamin J Tscharke
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Science (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street Woolloongabba, 4102, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jochen F Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Science (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street Woolloongabba, 4102, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jake W O'Brien
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Science (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street Woolloongabba, 4102, Queensland, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Science (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street Woolloongabba, 4102, Queensland, Australia
| | - Cobus Gerber
- University of South Australia, UniSA: Clinical and Health Sciences, Health and Biomedical Innovation, Adelaide 5000, South Australia, Australia.
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Bade R, Ghetia M, White JM, Gerber C. Determination of prescribed and designer benzodiazepines and metabolites in influent wastewater. ANALYTICAL METHODS : ADVANCING METHODS AND APPLICATIONS 2020; 12:3637-3644. [PMID: 32701083 DOI: 10.1039/d0ay00560f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Benzodiazepines are important prescription pharmaceuticals used to help in the treatment of anxiety and sleep disorders. However, they also have a strong potential for abuse. In this respect, illicit benzodiazepines, i.e. not prescribed in Australia and designer benzodiazepines, which are new compounds that are not legally prescribed in any jurisdiction, have emerged in the illicit Australian market in recent years. Designer benzodiazepines are a new class of new psychoactive substances (NPS) and are particularly dangerous due to limited toxicity information and propensity to be mistaken for conventional benzodiazepines, leading to severe side effects and potentially death. It is therefore important to assess the prevalence of the use of these compounds in the community. The current work presents a validated liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method for 20 prescribed and designer benzodiazepines and metabolites: 7-amino nimetazepam, alpha-hydroxy alprazolam, alprazolam, clonazepam, delorazepam, deschloroetizolam, diazepam, diclazepam, etizolam, flubromazepam, flunitrazepam, lorazepam, lormetazepam, meclonazepam, midazolam, nimetazepam, nitrazepam, oxazepam, pyrazolam and temazepam. Quetiapine, a prescription sedative drug that has been diverted for non-medical use, was also validated. Limits of quantification were predominantly below 10 ng L-1, except for the ubiquitous oxazepam, quetiapine and temazepam, which were between 75-300 ng L-1. Stability, recovery and matrix effects were also examined. Finally, this method was applied to influent wastewater from South Australia, which showed the presence of many benzodiazepines including the NPS etizolam.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Bade
- University of South Australia, UniSA: Clinical and Health Sciences, Health and Biomedical Innovation, Adelaide 5000, South Australia, Australia.
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Bade R, Abbate V, Abdelaziz A, Nguyen L, Trobbiani S, Stockham P, Elliott S, White JM, Gerber C. The complexities associated with new psychoactive substances in influent wastewater: The case of 4-ethylmethcathinone. Drug Test Anal 2020; 12:1494-1500. [PMID: 32621345 DOI: 10.1002/dta.2890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Revised: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Consumption of new psychoactive substances (NPS) is an international problem for health, policing, forensic, and analytical laboratories. The transience of these substances in the community, combined with continual slight structural changes to evade legislation makes the elucidation of NPS an analytical challenge. This is amplified in a matrix as complex as wastewater. For that reason, suspect and non-target methodologies, employing high resolution mass spectrometry are the most appropriate current tool to facilitate the identification of new and existing compounds. In the current work, a qualitative screening method of influent wastewater using liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry showed a strong signal at m/z 192.1382 - identical to that of two NPS standards that were in our method (pentedrone and 4-methylethcathinone), and with identical fragment ions, but the retention times did not match. This work shows the methodology followed to identify this compound, highlighting the challenges of the identifying "new" compounds in influent wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Bade
- UniSA: Clinical and Health Sciences, Health and Biomedical Innovation, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Vincenzo Abbate
- King's Forensics, Department of Analytical, Environmental and Forensic Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Ahmed Abdelaziz
- UniSA: Clinical and Health Sciences, Health and Biomedical Innovation, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Lynn Nguyen
- UniSA: Clinical and Health Sciences, Health and Biomedical Innovation, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | | | - Peter Stockham
- Forensic Science SA, GPO Box 2790, Adelaide, Australia.,College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia
| | - Simon Elliott
- King's Forensics, Department of Analytical, Environmental and Forensic Sciences, King's College London, London, UK.,Elliott Forensic Consulting, Birmingham, UK
| | - Jason M White
- UniSA: Clinical and Health Sciences, Health and Biomedical Innovation, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Cobus Gerber
- UniSA: Clinical and Health Sciences, Health and Biomedical Innovation, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
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Bijlsma L, Celma A, Castiglioni S, Salgueiro-González N, Bou-Iserte L, Baz-Lomba JA, Reid MJ, Dias MJ, Lopes A, Matias J, Pastor-Alcañiz L, Radonić J, Turk Sekulic M, Shine T, van Nuijs ALN, Hernandez F, Zuccato E. Monitoring psychoactive substance use at six European festivals through wastewater and pooled urine analysis. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 725:138376. [PMID: 32298891 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Revised: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The consumption of psychoactive substances is considered a growing problem in many communities. Moreover, new psychoactive substances (NPS) designed as (legal) substitutes to traditional illicit drugs are relatively easily available to the public through e-commerce and retail shops, but there is little knowledge regarding the extent and actual use of these substances. This study aims to gain new and complementary information on NPS and traditional illicit drug use at six music festivals across Europe by investigating wastewater and pooled urine. Samples were collected, between 2015 and 2018, at six music festivals across Europe with approximately 465.000 attendees. Wastewater samples were also collected during a period not coinciding with festivals. A wide-scope screening for 197 NPS, six illicit drugs and known metabolites was applied using different chromatography-mass spectrometric strategies. Several illicit drugs and in total 21 different NPS, mainly synthetic cathinones, phenethylamines and tryptamines, were identified in the samples. Ketamine and the traditional illicit drugs, such as amphetamine-type stimulants, cannabis and cocaine were most abundant and/or frequently detected in the samples collected, suggesting a higher use compared to NPS. The analyses of urine and wastewater is quick and a high number of attendees may be monitored anonymously by analysing only a few samples which allows identifying the local profiles of use of different drugs within a wide panel of psychoactive substances. This approach contributes to the development of an efficient surveillance system which can provide timely insight in the trends of NPS and illicit drugs use.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Bijlsma
- Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, Castellón, Spain.
| | - A Celma
- Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, Castellón, Spain
| | - S Castiglioni
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri -IRCCS, , Milan, Italy
| | | | - L Bou-Iserte
- Department of Inorganic and Organic Chemistry, University Jaume I, Castellón, Spain
| | - J A Baz-Lomba
- Norwegian Institute for Water Research, Oslo, Norway
| | - M J Reid
- Norwegian Institute for Water Research, Oslo, Norway
| | - M J Dias
- Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal e Ciencias Forenses, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - A Lopes
- Egas Moniz, Cooperativa de Ensino Superior, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - J Matias
- European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Lisbon, Portugal
| | | | - J Radonić
- University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - M Turk Sekulic
- University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - T Shine
- TICTAC Communications Ltd., London, United Kingdom
| | - A L N van Nuijs
- Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - F Hernandez
- Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, Castellón, Spain
| | - E Zuccato
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri -IRCCS, , Milan, Italy
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A multi-residue method by supercritical fluid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry method for the analysis of chiral and non-chiral chemicals of emerging concern in environmental samples. Anal Bioanal Chem 2020; 412:5563-5581. [PMID: 32648103 PMCID: PMC7413908 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-020-02780-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
This manuscript presents the development, validation and application of a multi-residue supercritical fluid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry method for the analysis of 140 chiral and non-chiral chemicals of emerging concern in environmental samples, with 81 compounds being fully quantitative, 14 semi-quantitative and 45 qualitative, validated according to European Medicine Agency (EMA) guidelines (European Medicines Agency 2019). One unified LC-MS method was used to analyse all analytes, which were split into three injection methods to ensure sufficient peak resolution. The unified method provided an average of 113% accuracy and 4.5% precision across the analyte range. Limits of detection were in the range of 35 pg L−1–0.7 μg L−1, in both river water and wastewater, with an average LOD of 33 ng L−1. The method was combined with solid-phase extraction and applied in environmental samples, showing very good accuracy and precision, as well as excellent chromatographic resolution of a range of chiral enantiomers including beta-blockers, benzodiazepines and antidepressants. The method resulted in quantification of 75% of analytes in at least two matrices, and 56% in the trio of environmental matrices of river water, effluent wastewater and influent wastewater, enabling its use in monitoring compounds of environmental concern, from their sources of origin through to their discharge into the environment.
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O'Rourke CE, Subedi B. Occurrence and Mass Loading of Synthetic Opioids, Synthetic Cathinones, and Synthetic Cannabinoids in Wastewater Treatment Plants in Four U.S. Communities. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:6661-6670. [PMID: 32356976 PMCID: PMC8014967 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c00250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
A few new psychoactive substances (NPS) that mimic the effects of controlled neuropsychiatric and illicit drugs have been forensically identified in the U.S. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) can provide a comprehensive and more cost- and time-effective method of determining the prevalence of NPSs in communities. In this study, an analytical method capable of simultaneous determination of trace-level 40 NPS residues (synthetic opioids, synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic cathinones, piperazines, indole, and amphetamine) in wastewater was developed and validated. The developed analytical method was utilized to determine the occurrence of NPSs in four rural communities in southern Illinois. Nine NPSs (carfentanil, furanyl fentanyl, methoxyacetyl fentanyl, MAB-CHMINACA, methcathinone, 4-methyl pentedrone, 2-methyl-4'-(methylthio)-2-morpholinopropiophenone (MMMP), 1-(3-chlorophenyl) piperazine (mCPP), and 5-(2-Aminopropyl) Indole (5IT) were quantified. Methcathinone was the most frequently detected NPS (detection frequency, df = 100%) followed closely by the MMMP and mCPP (df = 91%). The mass loading of methcathinone, mCPP, and 5-IT using ammoniacal nitrogen-based population were up to 21.1 ± 1.3 mg/d/1000 people, 15.0 ± 0.5 mg/d/1000 people, and 9.75 ± 2.72 mg/d/1000 people, respectively. This is the first study to determine the occurrence of NPSs including synthetic opioids, synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic cathinones, and piperazines in the U.S. communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine E O'Rourke
- Department of Chemistry, Murray State University, 1201 Jesse D. Jones Hall, Murray, Kentucky 42071-3300, United States
| | - Bikram Subedi
- Department of Chemistry, Murray State University, 1201 Jesse D. Jones Hall, Murray, Kentucky 42071-3300, United States
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Jones NS, Comparin JH. Interpol review of controlled substances 2016-2019. Forensic Sci Int Synerg 2020; 2:608-669. [PMID: 33385148 PMCID: PMC7770462 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsisyn.2020.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
This review paper covers the forensic-relevant literature in controlled substances from 2016 to 2019 as a part of the 19th Interpol International Forensic Science Managers Symposium. The review papers are also available at the Interpol website at: https://www.interpol.int/content/download/14458/file/Interpol%20Review%20Papers%202019.pdf.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole S. Jones
- RTI International, Applied Justice Research Division, Center for Forensic Sciences, 3040 E. Cornwallis Road, Research Triangle Park, NC, 22709-2194, USA
| | - Jeffrey H. Comparin
- United States Drug Enforcement Administration, Special Testing and Research Laboratory, USA
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Woźniak-Karczewska M, Baranowski D, Framski G, Marczak Ł, Čvančarová M, Corvini PFX, Chrzanowski Ł. Biodegradation of ritalinic acid by Nocardioides sp. - Novel imidazole-based alkaloid metabolite as a potential marker in sewage epidemiology. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2020; 385:121554. [PMID: 31753665 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.121554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2019] [Revised: 10/12/2019] [Accepted: 10/25/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The consumption of methylphenidate, a nootropic drug used to improve mental performance, is becoming increasingly serious. Methylphenidate is metabolized in human liver to ritalinic acid, which has been commonly detected in sewage and surface waters. Additionally, ritalinic acid serves as a biomarker in sewage epidemiology studies. Thus knowledge of the stability and microbial degradation pathways of ritalinic acid is essential for proper estimation of methylphenidate consumption. In the study reported here, we describe the fast formation of a previously unknown, dead-end metabolite of ritalinic acid by Nocardioides sp. strain MW5. HRMS and 2D NMR analyses allowed precisely identification of the compound as an imidazole-based alkaloid cation with chemical formula 11-[3-(formylamino)propyl]-1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9-octahydrodipyrido[1,2-a:1',2'-c]imidazole-5-ium. In experiments, Nocardioides sp. strain MW5 transformed 34% of ritalinic acid into this metabolite, while 52% was mineralized into CO2. Alkaloid was not biodegraded during the OECD 301 F test. This study provides new insight into the environmental fate of methylphenidate and its metabolites. The data collected are essential for assessing nootropic drug consumption by sewage epidemiology and should lead to a better understanding of microbial degradation of ritalinic acid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Woźniak-Karczewska
- Institute of Chemical Technology and Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, Berdychowo 4, 60-965 Poznan, Poland; Institute for Ecopreneurship, School of Life Sciences, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Gründenstrasse 40, 4132 Muttenz, Switzerland.
| | - Daniel Baranowski
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, 61-704 Poznań, Poland
| | - Grzegorz Framski
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, 61-704 Poznań, Poland
| | - Łukasz Marczak
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, 61-704 Poznań, Poland
| | - Monika Čvančarová
- Institute for Ecopreneurship, School of Life Sciences, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Gründenstrasse 40, 4132 Muttenz, Switzerland
| | - Philippe F-X Corvini
- Institute for Ecopreneurship, School of Life Sciences, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Gründenstrasse 40, 4132 Muttenz, Switzerland; State Key Laboratory for Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, PR China
| | - Łukasz Chrzanowski
- Institute of Chemical Technology and Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, Berdychowo 4, 60-965 Poznan, Poland
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Determination of 21 synthetic cathinones, phenethylamines, amphetamines and opioids in influent wastewater using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Talanta 2020; 208:120479. [DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2019.120479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2019] [Revised: 10/11/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Fallati L, Castiglioni S, Galli P, Riva F, Gracia-Lor E, González-Mariño I, Rousis NI, Shifah M, Messa MC, Strepparava MG, Vai M, Zuccato E. Use of legal and illegal substances in Malé (Republic of Maldives) assessed by wastewater analysis. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 698:134207. [PMID: 31499350 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2019] [Revised: 08/28/2019] [Accepted: 08/29/2019] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
This study used wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) to investigate the lifestyle of the inhabitants of Malé, the capital of the Republic of Maldives. Raw wastewater 12-h composite samples were collected from nine pumping stations serving the city area - thus representative of the whole Malé population. Samples were analysed by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry for estimating the profile of use of a large number of substances including illicit drugs, alcohol, caffeine, tobacco and pharmaceuticals. The illicit drugs most used were cannabis (THC) and heroin (700 and 18 g/day), with lower consumption of cocaine and amphetamines (0.1-1.2 g/day). It is important to note that the consumption of cannabis in Malé was comparable to that measured in other countries, while the consumption of heroin was higher. Among cathinones, mephedrone was detected at the highest levels similar to other countries. Consumption of alcohol, which is not allowed in Maldives, was found (1.3 L/day/1000 inhabitants), but at a low level compared with other countries (6-44 L/day/1000 inhabitants), while the consumption of caffeine and tobacco was generally in line with reports from other countries. Unique information on pharmaceuticals use was also provided, since no official data were available. Human lifestyle was evaluated by applying for the first time the full set of WBE methodologies available in our laboratory. Results provided valuable epidemiological information, which may be useful for national and international agencies to understand population lifestyles better, including illicit drug issues, and for planning and evaluation of drug prevention programs in Malé.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Fallati
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milan - Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy; MaRHE Center (Marine Research and High Education Center), Magoodhoo Island, Faafu Atoll, Maldives
| | - Sara Castiglioni
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy.
| | - Paolo Galli
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milan - Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy; MaRHE Center (Marine Research and High Education Center), Magoodhoo Island, Faafu Atoll, Maldives
| | - Francesco Riva
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Emma Gracia-Lor
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy; Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Complutense University of Madrid, Avenida Complutense s/n, E-28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Iria González-Mariño
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy; Department of Analytical Chemistry, Institute for Food Analysis and Research, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Nikolaos I Rousis
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Mohamed Shifah
- MaRHE Center (Marine Research and High Education Center), Magoodhoo Island, Faafu Atoll, Maldives
| | - Maria Cristina Messa
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, via Cadore 48, 20052 Monza, MB, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Strepparava
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, via Cadore 48, 20052 Monza, MB, Italy
| | - Marina Vai
- Department of Biotechnologies and Biosciences, University of Milan-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Ettore Zuccato
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
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O'Brien JW, Choi PM, Li J, Thai PK, Jiang G, Tscharke BJ, Mueller JF, Thomas KV. Evaluating the stability of three oxidative stress biomarkers under sewer conditions and potential impact for use in wastewater-based epidemiology. WATER RESEARCH 2019; 166:115068. [PMID: 31542546 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2019.115068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Revised: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater contains a wealth of information about the population who contribute to it including biological and chemical markers of human activity and exposures. F2-isoprostanes have been proposed as oxidative stress biomarkers that can be measured in wastewater to provide a measure of oxidative stress at the population level. While an association between tobacco use and their level in wastewater has been demonstrated, an in-sewer stability assessment has not been conducted to support their use as oxidative stress biomarkers for wastewater-based epidemiology studies. In this study we investigated the stability of 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α), its metabolite dinor-11β-Prostaglandin F2α (dnPGF2α) and Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) (representative of other classes of prostaglandins) in laboratory-scale sewer reactors simulating real sewers. PGF2α, dnPGF2α and PGE2 were all found to be sufficiently stable under typical sewer conditions therefore satisfying the stability requirement of wastewater-based epidemiology population health biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jake W O'Brien
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4102, Australia.
| | - Phil M Choi
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4102, Australia
| | - Jiaying Li
- The University of Queensland, Advanced Water Management Centre, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Phong K Thai
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4102, Australia
| | - Guangming Jiang
- The University of Queensland, Advanced Water Management Centre, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia; School of Civil, Mining & Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences, University of Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Australia
| | - Benjamin J Tscharke
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4102, Australia
| | - Jochen F Mueller
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4102, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4102, Australia
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Salgueiro-González N, Castiglioni S, Gracia-Lor E, Bijlsma L, Celma A, Bagnati R, Hernández F, Zuccato E. Flexible high resolution-mass spectrometry approach for screening new psychoactive substances in urban wastewater. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 689:679-690. [PMID: 31279214 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2019] [Revised: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The number of new psychoactive substances (NPS) on the recreational drug market has increased rapidly in the last years, creating serious challenges for public health agencies and law enforcement authorities. Epidemiological surveys and forensic analyses to monitor the consumption of these substances face some limitations for investigating their use on a large scale in a shifting market. The aim of this work was to develop a comprehensive and flexible screening approach for assessing the presence of NPS in urban wastewater by liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). Almost 200 substances were selected as "priority NPS" among those most frequently and recently reported by the Early Warning Systems (EWS) of different agencies and were included in the screening. Wastewater samples were collected from several cities all over Europe in 2016 and 2017, extracted using different solid-phase cartridges and analysed by LC-HRMS. The screening workflow comprised three successive analytical steps and compounds were identified and confirmed following specific criteria from the current guidelines. Thirteen NPS were identified at different confidence levels by using analytical standards or information from libraries and literature, and about half of them were phenethylamines. As far as we know, this is the first time that four of them (i.e. 3,4-dimethoxy-α-pyrrolidinovalerophenone, para-methoxyamphetamine, 2-phenethylamine and α-methyltryptamine) have been found in urban wastewater. The proposed screening approach was successfully applied in the largest NPS European wastewater monitoring, providing an innovative and easily adapted procedure for investigating NPS. In the light of current challenges and specific future research issues, this approach may complement epidemiological information and help in establishing measures for public health protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noelia Salgueiro-González
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri - IRCCS, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Via Giuseppe La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy; Grupo Química Analítica Aplicada (QANAP), Instituto Universitario de Medio Ambiente (IUMA), Centro de Investigaciones Científicas Avanzadas (CICA), Departamento de Química, Facultade de Ciencias, Universidade da Coruña, Campus de A Coruña, E-15071 A Coruña, Spain.
| | - Sara Castiglioni
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri - IRCCS, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Via Giuseppe La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy.
| | - Emma Gracia-Lor
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri - IRCCS, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Via Giuseppe La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy; Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Complutense University of Madrid, Avenida Complutense s/n, E-28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Lubertus Bijlsma
- Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, Universitat Jaume I, Avda Sos Baynat, s/n., E-12071 Castellon, Spain
| | - Alberto Celma
- Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, Universitat Jaume I, Avda Sos Baynat, s/n., E-12071 Castellon, Spain
| | - Renzo Bagnati
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri - IRCCS, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Via Giuseppe La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Félix Hernández
- Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, Universitat Jaume I, Avda Sos Baynat, s/n., E-12071 Castellon, Spain
| | - Ettore Zuccato
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri - IRCCS, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Via Giuseppe La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy
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Yin X, Guo C, Teng Y, Xu J. Development and application of the analytical method for illicit drugs and metabolites in fish tissues. CHEMOSPHERE 2019; 233:532-541. [PMID: 31185337 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2019] [Revised: 05/27/2019] [Accepted: 06/02/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
In this study, we developed a screening method for highly accurate and sensitive analysis of 12 illicit drugs and metabolites in fish tissues. The approach was based on ultrasonic-assisted extraction and solid phase extraction, followed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis. The homogenized samples were ultrasonic-assisted extracted with 1% acetic acid in methanol followed by SPE cleanup with Oasis MCX cartridge. The method was validated in accordance with the European Medicines Agency guidelines by evaluating the following required parameters: the limits of detection and limits of quantification, linearity, accuracy, repeatability, recovery of extraction, and matrix effect. For the tissues involved in this study, the recoveries ranged from 60% to 127%, and the matrix effect ranged from -19% to 83% with the inter- and intra-day variability below 12%. The method has been successfully applied to wild fish caught from six sampling sites of four urban rivers in Beijing, China. The analysis showed that the target compounds, including amphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine, codeine and heroin were detected with high detection frequencies. Codeine exhibited the highest bioaccumulation factor (up to 73,986) in the muscle of Crucian carp, while ketamine tended to accumulate in the skin, 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine and heroin tended to accumulate in gastrointestinal tract, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingxing Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China; College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Changsheng Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
| | - Yanguo Teng
- College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Jian Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China; College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
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48
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A new paradigm in public health assessment: Water fingerprinting for protein markers of public health using mass spectrometry. Trends Analyt Chem 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2019.115621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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49
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Simultaneous determination of new psychoactive substances and illicit drugs in sewage: Potential of micro-liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry in wastewater-based epidemiology. J Chromatogr A 2019; 1602:300-309. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2019.05.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Revised: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 05/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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50
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Rimayi C, Chimuka L, Gravell A, Fones GR, Mills GA. Use of the Chemcatcher® passive sampler and time-of-flight mass spectrometry to screen for emerging pollutants in rivers in Gauteng Province of South Africa. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2019; 191:388. [PMID: 31115701 PMCID: PMC6529598 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-019-7515-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2019] [Accepted: 04/30/2019] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Many rivers in urbanised catchments in South Africa are polluted by raw sewage and effluent to an extent that their ecological function has been severely impaired. The Hennops and Jukskei Rivers lying in the Hartbeespoort Dam catchment are two of the worst impacted rivers in South Africa and are in need of rehabilitation. Passive sampling (Chemcatcher® with a HLB receiving phase) together with high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry-targeted screening was used to provide high sensitivity and selectivity for the identification of a wide range of emerging pollutants in these urban waters. Over 200 compounds, including pesticides, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, drugs of abuse and their metabolites were identified. Many substances (~ 180) being detected for the first time in surface water in South Africa. General medicines and psychotropic drugs were the two most frequently detected groups in the catchment. These accounted for 49% of the emerging pollutants found. Of the general medicines, antihypertensive agents, beta-blocking and cardiac drugs were the most abundant (28%) classes detected. The Hennops site, downstream of a dysfunctional wastewater treatment plant, was the most polluted with 123 substances detected. From the compounds detected, peak intensity-based prioritisation was used to identify the five most abundant pollutants, being in the order caffeine > lopinavir > sulfamethoxazole > cotinine > trimethoprim. This work provides the largest available high-quality dataset of emerging pollutants detected in South African urban waters. The data generated in this study provides a solid foundation for subsequent work to further characterise (suspect screening) and quantify (target analysis) these substances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelius Rimayi
- Department of Water and Sanitation, Resource Quality Information Services (RQIS), Roodeplaat, P. Bag X313, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa
| | - Luke Chimuka
- School of Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, P. Bag 3, Wits, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa
| | - Anthony Gravell
- Natural Resources Wale, NRW Analytical Services, Swansea University, Faraday Building, Singleton Campus, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Gary R Fones
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Burnaby Road, Portsmouth, PO1 3QL, UK.
| | - Graham A Mills
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, White Swan Road, Portsmouth, PO1 2DT, UK
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