Seeking help for an addiction?

PCUG Addiction Treatment .co.uk is the leading online provider of free medical information about drug and alcohol addiction issues. You can receive independent, expert advice on addictions rehab and treatment by telephoning PCUG Addiction Treatment on 0845 555 444

 

 

Tracking community wide drug use by testing water at sewage treatment plants

Scientists in Oregon and Washington State are reporting the development and successful testing of a new method for determining the extent of illicit drug use in entire communities from water flushed down toilets that enters municipal wastewater treatment plants. The technique may be an effective tool for comparing drug use in different regions of the United States and the world, they note in a study is scheduled for the December 15 issue of ACS' Environmental Science & Technology, a semi-monthly journal.

In the study, Aurea C. Chiaia and colleagues note that the new test eliminates the need for sample preparation - saving time and money and decreasing the risk of sample contamination. They proved the test's effectiveness by measured levels of illegal drugs like methamphetamine and legal drugs like prescription painkillers in wastewater from seven U.S. municipalities. The research team also tested the levels of 'urine indicators' such as creatinine, a metabolic by-product that can be used as an indicator of drug use.

The scientists determined the 'index loads' of the different drugs - the amount of drug per person per day - based on estimates of the population served by each wastewater facility. These calculated index loads generally reflect known illegal drug use patterns in the US and worldwide. The loads for methamphetamine in western and southern US were much larger than previous reports from Europe, for example. The authors proposed that urine indicator compounds like creatinine could be used in place of population estimates - which can fluctuate and be unreliable - to determine more accurate community-level drug index loads, which can then be compared between municipalities.

Reference
Chiaia et al., Eliminating Solid Phase Extraction with Large-Volume Injection LC/MS/MS: Analysis of Illicit and Legal Drugs and Human Urine Indicators in US Wastewaters', Environ. Sci. Technol., 2008, 42 (23), pp 88418848

Article originally published on 08/12/2020 by DryOutNow.com, the alcohol specific website for PCUG Addiction Treatment

 

 

 

Other Addictions Stories

• Pablo and FRANK - the new cocaine campaign ...... read
• Cannabis upgraded to Class B drug ...... read
• Alcohol exposure in the womb affects adolescent drinking ...... read
• Technology improves treatment options for drug users ...... read
• Majority of teens discuss risky behaviours on MySpace, studies conclude ...... read
• Number of babies exposed to drugs effectively reduced by 'recovery coaches' ...... read
• NIDA releases a new research report on comorbidity of addiction and other mental illnesses ...... read
• Link between problem drinking among African-American women in NYC and outdoor alcohol advertising ...... read
• New research reveals groups reduce the effect of alcohol ...... read
• Socially stable individuals delay seeking help for alcohol problems ...... read
• Alcohol tax increases deter drinking ...... read
• Tougher health and safety law demands tougher drugs policies, says drug testing company ...... read
• Royal College of Nursing responds to new ONS alcohol statistics, UK ...... read
• Tis the season to be jolly ...... read
• Time's up for irresponsible drink deals ...... read
• Try science when 'just saying no' isn't enough ...... read
• UK gyms to make members aware of alcohol's impact on exercise and health ...... read
• Programme to deter youth alcohol use also reduces conduct problems ...... read
• Tracking community wide drug use by testing water at sewage treatment plants ...... read
• Downward trend in teen cigarette and alcohol use continues ...... read