Estimation of cocaine consumption in the community: a critical comparison of the results from three complimentary techniques

Reid, Malcolm J.; Langford, Katherine; Grung, Merete; Gjerde, Hallvard; Amundsen, Ellen Johanna; Mørland, Jörg; Thomas, Kevin V.

doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2012-001637

Cited by 37 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The last decade has seen the emergence and refinement of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), which relies on quantitative measurement of specific biomarkers of illicit drug use in wastewater. Presented as a complementary approach to current surveillance methods (Amundsen and Reid, 2014;Been et al, 2015;Bramness et al, 2014;Reid et al, 2012Reid et al, , 2011, WBE has received much attention. Although further developments will most probably refine it in the near future, WBE already enables the gathering of unique spatio-temporal information about consumption (Ort et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing geographical differences in illicit drug consumption—A comparison of results from epidemiological and wastewater data in Germany and Switzerland

Béen

Bijlsma

Benaglia

et al. 2016

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

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Background: Wastewater analysis is an innovative approach that allows monitoring illicit drug use at the community level. This study focused on investigating geographical differences in drug consumption by comparing epidemiological, crime and wastewater data. Methods: Wastewater samples were collected in 19 cities across Germany and Switzerland during one week, covering a population of approximately 8.1 million people. Self-report data and consumption offences for the investigated areas were used for comparison and to investigate differences between the indicators. Results: Good agreement between data sources was observed for cannabis and amphetamine-type stimulants, whereas substantial discrepancies were observed for cocaine. In Germany, an important distinction could be made between Berlin, Dortmund and Munich, where cocaine and particularly amphetamine were more prevalent, and Dresden, where methamphetamine consumption was clearly predominant. Cocaine consumption was relatively homogenous in the larger urban areas of Switzerland, although prevalence and offences data suggested a more heterogeneous picture. Conversely, marked regional differences in amphetamine and methamphetamine consumption could be highlighted. Conclusions: Combining the available data allowed for a better understanding of the geographical differences regarding prevalence, typology and amounts of substances consumed. For cannabis and amphetamine-type stimulants, the complementarity of survey, police and wastewater data could be highlighted, although notable differences could be identified when considering more stigmatised drugs (i.e., cocaine and heroin).Understanding illicit drug consumption at the national scale remains a difficult task, yet this research illustrates the added value of combining complementary data sources to obtain a more comprehensive and accurate picture of the situation.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing geographical differences in illicit drug consumption—A comparison of results from epidemiological and wastewater data in Germany and Switzerland

Béen

Bijlsma

Benaglia

et al. 2016

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

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“…Currently, the estimation of the number of doses or even of individual users based on sewage samples requires a series of assumptions and remains specula tive. Nev er theless, some studies have shown good qualitative agreement between sewage-based estimates and other data (Reid et al 2012). …”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Sewage-based Epidemiology Requires a Truly Transdisciplinary Approach

Ort¹,

Banta‐Green²,

Bijlsma³

et al. 2014

GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society

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If asked whether you had consumed illicit drugs recently, would you admit it? If yes, could you precisely recall types of drug, times and amounts used? If you were the person commissioned with the task of quantifying drug use, what approach would you use given the social stigma attached with such behavior? We measure drug residues in sewage, which represents urine of entire populations, to provide an objective estimate of total drug use in a region. In transdisciplinary projects, sewage-based results provide valuable information at unrivaled spatiotemporal resolution complementing traditional data.

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“…This method can detect both traditional drugs and new psychoactive substances, including previously undetected drugs, even at low concentrations [122][123][124][125].…”

Section: Illicit Drugsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Research trends on emerging environment pollutants – a review

Rykowska

Wasiak

2015

Open Chemistry

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Concern for the natural environment increasingly devotes more attention to growing potential hazards resulting from the release of various substances. Currently, one of the main problems associated with environmental pollution is the derivation of organic compounds from wastewater. Substances derived from sewage leaks into the environment in the form of a multicomponent mixtures often enhances the toxic effects caused by these compounds. While analyzing the reports in the literature of the last two decades it can be seen that substantial efforts are devoted to the determination of selected trace contaminants present in wastewater. Among the most marked there are endocrine disrupting compounds, residues of pharmaceuticals and personal care products, plastics and sunscreens. Recently, a new group of compounds joined the aforementioned contaminants, namely drugs, whose legality and availability is increasing every year. Exposure to these type of compounds, named in the literature as emerging contaminants (ECs), involves, among others, such effects as hormonal imbalance, reduction of the survivability of aquatic organisms and reproductive problems.This paper provides a review of the types of emerging organic groundwater contaminants (EGCs) which are beginning to be found in the natural environment in many countries all around the world.

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Estimation of cocaine consumption in the community: a critical comparison of the results from three complimentary techniques

Cited by 37 publications

References 34 publications

Assessing geographical differences in illicit drug consumption—A comparison of results from epidemiological and wastewater data in Germany and Switzerland

Assessing geographical differences in illicit drug consumption—A comparison of results from epidemiological and wastewater data in Germany and Switzerland

Sewage-based Epidemiology Requires a Truly Transdisciplinary Approach

Research trends on emerging environment pollutants – a review

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