Estimates of tobacco use by wastewater analysis of anabasine and anatabine

Wastewater analysis, the chemical analysis of municipal sewage, is fast becoming the technique of choice to monitor changes in community consumption of a range of compounds over time. Currently wastewater analyses which estimate tobacco consumption focus on the major alkaloid nicotine and its urinary metabolite, cotinine. As nicotine is also present in replacement therapies such as nicotine gum and patches, this analysis is not specific and hence does not truly reflect the harmful consumption of tobacco. Two alkaloids – anabasine and anatabine – which are specific to dried tobacco, were assessed as biomarkers for tobacco consumption in wastewater, together with nicotine and cotinine. Consequently, solid phase extraction (SPE) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) methods for the detection of anabasine, anatabine, nicotine, and cotinine in municipal wastewater were validated. All compounds were detected in wastewater extracts and found to have satisfactory recovery, accuracy, precision, and stability in wastewater. Daily flow volume and catchment population of the wastewater facility were used to estimate normalized consumption figures of mg/day/1000 people for composite samples collected over one week, in an application of the method. Anabasine and anatabine were found to be suitable wastewater biomarkers of tobacco and can be used to assess tobacco consumption of communities via wastewater analysis. Application of this methodology can be used to collect temporal consumption data which could be used to determine the efficacy of tobacco reduction strategies. Copyrigh

Analyzing wastewater samples collected during census to determine the correction factors of drugs for wastewater-based epidemiology: the case of codeine and methadone

The correction factor (CF) is a critical parameter for back-estimating the consumption of a drug via wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). The CF is usually the excretion factor (EF) of the drug or metabolite (the fraction of drug excreted after consumption and the molecular mass ratio of parent drug/metabolite) traditionally determined by human pharmacokinetic studies. An alternative approach to derive CFs is to compare the consumption data with the loads measured by WBE in representative wastewater samples. For this purpose, during the 2016 Australian Census week, more than 500 wastewater samples were collected from 83 wastewater treatment plants across Australia (covering >60% of the Australian population) and analyzed for codeine, methadone, and methadone metabolite, EDDP. National sales data for codeine and methadone to local pharmacies were obtained to estimate the CFs for the three biomarkers. The CFs estimated for codeine and EDDP in this study, 29% (95% CI = 28%-30%) and 50% (95% CI = 49%-52%), respectively, are significantly different from the EFs deduced from pharmacokinetic data (60% and 25%), while methadone's CF is relatively similar to previously used values (22% vs 27.5%). The newly derived CFs were applied to available data in the literature and produced better matches between estimates and consumption data than previously reported. It is thus suggested that the new approach be used to derive the CFs of other drugs of interest for WBE application when limited pharmacokinetic data are available

A pilot wastewater-based epidemiology assessment of anabolic steroid use in Queensland, Australia

Anabolic-androgenic steroids are synthetic compounds prohibited due to their performance-enhancing characteristics. The use of these substances is known to cause health-related issues, which highlights the importance of being able to evaluate the scale of consumption by the general population. However, most available research on the analysis of anabolic steroids is focused on animals and athletes in connection with doping. The potential of wastewater-based epidemiology as an intelligence tool for the assessment of community level use of anabolic steroids is presented herein. A liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the analysis of 10 anabolic-androgenic steroids and 14 endogenous hormones in influent wastewater. The validated method was applied to sixteen 24-hour composite wastewater influent samples that were collected over a period of five years from two wastewater treatment plants in Queensland, Australia. Nine investigated compounds were found to be present at concentrations between 14 and 611\ua0ng\ua0L which translated into 3-104\ua0mg excreted per 1000 individuals per day. It was concluded that the developed analytical method is suitable for the analysis of AAS in wastewater matrix. Additionally, both the inclusion of metabolites and further investigation into deconjugation by enzymatic hydrolysis would aid in understanding and evaluating community anabolic steroid use. For the first time, this study presents the application of wastewater-based epidemiology on anabolic-androgenic steroids in Australia

Population Socioeconomics Predicted Using Wastewater

Municipal wastewater typically contains many drugs and anthropogenic chemicals or biomarkers. The occurrence of these chemicals in wastewater is linked to the socioeconomic characteristics of the contributing population. Based on these relationships, we propose, execute and evaluate a novel model for predicting population socioeconomics. Specifically, we used biomarkers in wastewater to predict 37 socioeconomic characteristics of populations during the Australian Census. The resultant model was further tested on nine other populations separate from the training data set. Prediction performance in the test populations (defined as accuracy ± SD) fit within 75% and 125% for many features such as catchment median age, and specific measures of educational attainment (e.g., high school completion) and employment (e.g., managerial employment). Considering the relative ease, low cost and high frequency at which wastewater samples can be collected and analyzed, wastewater analysis could be used as a complementary technique for assessing population socioeconomics

Population socioeconomics predicted using wastewater

Municipal wastewater typically contains many drugs and anthropogenic chemicals or biomarkers. The occurrence of these chemicals in wastewater is linked to the socioeconomic characteristics of the contributing population. Based on these relationships, we propose, execute and evaluate a novel model for predicting population socioeconomics. Specifically, we used biomarkers in wastewater to predict 37 socioeconomic characteristics of populations during the Australian Census. The resultant model was further tested on nine other populations separate from the training data set. Prediction performance in the test populations (defined as accuracy +/- SD) fit within 75% and 125% for many features such as catchment median age, and specific measures of educational attainment (e.g., high school completion) and employment (e.g., managerial employment). Considering the relative ease, low cost and high frequency at which wastewater samples can be collected and analyzed, wastewater analysis could be used as a complementary technique for assessing population socioeconomics

A comparison of trends in wastewater‐based data and traditional epidemiological indicators of stimulant consumption in three locations

To compare long-term trends in wastewater data with other indicators of stimulant use in three locations and to test the reliability of estimates based on one week of sampling.Comparison of trends in quantities ('loads') of stimulants or their metabolites in wastewater with trends in other indicators of stimulant use (e.g. treatment, police, population survey data).Populations in Oslo (Norway), South-East Queensland (Australia) and Eindhoven (The Netherlands).Wastewater data were modelled for MDMA (3,4-Methyl​enedioxy​methamphetamine), benzoylecgonine (a metabolite of cocaine), amphetamine and methamphetamine in Oslo; benzoylecgonine in Eindhoven; and methamphetamine in South-East Queensland. Choice of stimulants modelled in each region was primarily determined by availability of useable data.In Oslo, wastewater data, driving under the influence of drugs statistics and seizure data all suggested increasing MDMA use between 2009 and 2017. In South-East Queensland, there was an estimated 31.1% (95%CI 29.4-32.9%) annual increase in daily loads of methamphetamine in wastewater between 2009 and 2016, compared with a 14.1% (95%CI 10.9-17.3%) annual increase in seizures. Some of the increase in wastewater can be explained by increased purity. In Eindhoven, there was no evidence of a change in cocaine consumption from wastewater, but a reduction was observed in numbers in treatment for cocaine use from 2012 to 2017. In approximately half the cases examined in Oslo, credible intervals around estimates of annual average loads from a regression model versus estimates based on a single week of sampling did not overlap.Long-term trends in loads of stimulants in wastewater appear to be broadly consistent with trends in other indicators of stimulant use in three locations. Wastewater data should be interpreted alongside epidemiological indicators and purity data. One week of wastewater sampling may not be sufficient for valid inference about drug consumption

Towards finding a population biomarker for wastewater epidemiology studies

Highlights • We suggested five criteria for choosing a population biomarker in wastewater. • We evaluated seven potential population biomarkers. • 5-Hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) and cotinine satisfy the criteria.Chang Chen, Chris Kostakis, Jacobus P. Gerber, Ben J. Tscharke, Rodney J. Irvine, Jason M. Whit