ArticleAddiction (Abingdon, England)2020
Spatio-temporal assessment of illicit drug use at large scale: evidence from 7 years of international wastewater monitoring.
Erratum issuedOpen access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph
Article in Addiction (Abingdon, England), 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 72 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
72citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
7.9field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
72 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 227 citations in OpenAlex.
- Selective prevention programs for substance and behavioral addictions in adolescents: a systematic review.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Pooled it
- Current state and future perspectives on de facto population markers for normalization in wastewater-based epidemiology: A systematic literature review.The Science of the total environment · 2024Pooled it
- Systematic review of wastewater surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in human populations.Environment international · 2022Pooled it
- Genetics of methamphetamine use disorder: A systematic review and meta-analyses of gene association studies.Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews · 2021Pooled it
- A global systematic review and meta-analysis on illicit drug consumption rate through wastewater-based epidemiology.Environmental science and pollution research international · 2020Pooled it
- Advancing analytical methodologies for the determination of lifestyle and dietary biomarkers in municipal wastewater.Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry · 2026Article
- High temporal resolution monitoring of illicit drug consumption across England via wastewater analysis.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2026Article
- A Practical Framework for Wastewater-Based Monitoring of Substance Use in Public Health Settings.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Towards the institutionalization of wastewater surveillance for public health: results from the EU-WISH mapping survey.European journal of public health · 2026Article
- Data Hidden in Sewage: Advanced Methods for Identification and Quantification of Synthetic Cannabinoids in Urban Wastewater.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Comparison of self-reported survey and wastewater-based epidemiology measures of cocaine use on a college campus.PloS one · 2026Article
- Article
- Central nervous system stimulants in recreational and medical use.CNS spectrums · 2025Review
- Integrating community perspectives to enhance the utility of wastewater-based epidemiology for addressing substance use in the United States.Current opinion in psychiatry · 2025Review
- Article
- Near-source wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2, norovirus, influenza virus and RSV across five different sites in the UK.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Mapping consumptions and market size of cocaine, amphetamine and MDMA through wastewater analysis: A Dutch case study.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2025Article
- Estimation of the prevalence of substance use by wastewater-based epidemiology study in four cities of Guangdong, China.PloS one · 2025Article
- Active pharmaceutical contaminants in drinking water: myth or fact?Daru : journal of Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences · 2024Review
- Socioeconomic and psychosocial determinants of substance misuse - a national perspective.Forensic science, medicine, and pathology · 2024Review
12 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issuedCorrigendum.2020
Authors and funding
81 authors at 20 institutions in 27 countries.
Iria González-MariñoInstitute for Food Analysis and Research, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-2846-8380
Jose Antonio Baz-LombaNorwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0002-4923-3337
Nikiforos A AlygizakisDepartment of Chemistry, Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.ORCID 0000-0002-5727-4999
Maria Jesús Andrés-CostaFood and Environmental Safety Research Group, University of Valencia, Moncada, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-3509-9739
Richard BadeSchool of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-2724-9183
Anne BannwarthEcole des Sciences Criminelles, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Leon P BarronKing's Forensics, School of Population Health and Environmental Sciences, King's College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-5986-3853
Frederic BeenKWR Water Research Institute, Nieuwegein, the Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-5910-3248
Lisa BenagliaEcole des Sciences Criminelles, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Jean-Daniel BersetUniversity of Bern, Institute of Plant Sciences, Bern, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-5337-7798
Lubertus BijlsmaResearch Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, Castellón, Spain.ORCID 0000-0001-7005-8775
Igor BodíkDepartment of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology, Bratislava, Slovakia.ORCID 0000-0002-7410-7789
Asher BrennerUnit of Environmental Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.ORCID 0000-0001-9796-5391
Andreas L BrockDepartment of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-3792-9572
Daniel A BurgardUniversity of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2727-9307
Erika CastrignanòDepartment of Chemistry, University of Bath, Bath, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-5555-9894
Alberto CelmaResearch Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, Castellón, Spain.
Christophoros E ChristophoridisEnvironmental Pollution Control Laboratory, Chemistry Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.ORCID 0000-0003-2298-7136
Adrian CovaciDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toxicological Center, Antwerp, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0003-0527-1136
Olivier DelémontEcole des Sciences Criminelles, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Pim de VoogtKWR Water Research Institute, Nieuwegein, the Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-9065-9797
Damien A DevaultUniversité Paris-Sud, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Chatenay-Malabry, France.
Mário J DiasNational Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, Lisbon, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0002-5900-5899
Erik EmkeKWR Water Research Institute, Nieuwegein, the Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-8441-1709
Pierre EsseivaEcole des Sciences Criminelles, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Despo Fatta-KassinosNIREAS-International Water Research Center, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus.ORCID 0000-0003-1173-0941
Ganna FedorovaFaculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Zatisi, Czech Republic.ORCID 0000-0001-5492-7459
Konstantinos FytianosEnvironmental Pollution Control Laboratory, Chemistry Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Cobus GerberSchool of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-9070-843X
Roman GrabicFaculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Zatisi, Czech Republic.ORCID 0000-0002-0935-2075
Emma Gracia-LorIstituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
Stefan GrünerChair of Urban Water Management, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
Teemu GunnarForensic Toxicology, National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Helsinki, Finland.ORCID 0000-0003-4304-8031
Evroula HapeshiNIREAS-International Water Research Center, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus.ORCID 0000-0002-2785-145X
Ester HeathDepartment of Environmental Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Björn HelmChair of Urban Water Management, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-4963-7523
Félix HernándezResearch Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, Castellón, Spain.ORCID 0000-0003-1268-3083
Aino KankaanpaaForensic Toxicology, National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Helsinki, Finland.ORCID 0000-0003-2272-5726
Sara KarolakUniversité Paris-Sud, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Chatenay-Malabry, France.ORCID 0000-0002-0904-3459
Barbara Kasprzyk-HordernDepartment of Chemistry, University of Bath, Bath, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-6809-2875
Ivona Krizman-MatasicDivision for Marine and Environmental Research, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia.
Foon Yin LaiDepartment of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0001-8996-6714
Wojciech LechowiczInstitute of Forensic Research, Krakow, Poland.
Alvaro LopesFaculty of Pharmacy, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0003-1034-7086
Miren López de AldaWater and Soil Quality Research Group, Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-9347-2765
Ester López-GarcíaWater and Soil Quality Research Group, Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain.
Arndís S C LöveDepartment of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland.ORCID 0000-0002-3573-0607
Nicola MastroianniWater and Soil Quality Research Group, Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain.
Gillian L McEneffKing's Forensics, School of Population Health and Environmental Sciences, King's College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-2590-413X
Rosa MontesInstitute for Food Analysis and Research, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-4154-3541
Kelly MunroKing's Forensics, School of Population Health and Environmental Sciences, King's College London, London, UK.
Thomas NefauUniversité Paris-Sud, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Chatenay-Malabry, France.
Herbert OberacherInstitute of Legal Medicine and Core Facility Metabolomics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.ORCID 0000-0002-0963-8268
Jake W O'BrienQueensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-9336-9656
Reinhard OertelInstitute of Clinical Pharmacology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
Kristin OlafsdottirDepartment of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland.ORCID 0000-0002-3241-836X
Yolanda PicóFood and Environmental Safety Research Group, University of Valencia, Moncada, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-9545-0965
Benedek G PlószDepartment of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-7081-7038
Fabio PoleselDepartment of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0003-2906-3462
Cristina PostigoWater and Soil Quality Research Group, Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-7344-7044
José Benito QuintanaInstitute for Food Analysis and Research, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-2566-8133
Pedram RaminDepartment of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0001-7245-072X
Malcolm J ReidNorwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0002-9988-4867
Jack RiceDepartment of Chemistry, University of Bath, Bath, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-7439-9574
Rosario RodilInstitute for Food Analysis and Research, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-7100-723X
Noelia Salgueiro-GonzálezIstituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
Sara SchubertInstitute of Clinical Pharmacology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
Ivan SentaDivision for Marine and Environmental Research, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia.ORCID 0000-0002-3308-5122
Susana M SimõesNational Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, Lisbon, Portugal.
Maja M SremackiFaculty of Technical Sciences, Department of Environmental Engineering and Occupational Safety, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia.ORCID 0000-0002-0671-5117
Katarzyna StyszkoDepartment of Coal Chemistry and Environmental Sciences, AGH University of Science and Technology, Krakow, Poland.ORCID 0000-0003-0092-3772
Senka TerzicDivision for Marine and Environmental Research, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia.ORCID 0000-0001-9351-3355
Nikolaos S ThomaidisDepartment of Chemistry, Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.ORCID 0000-0002-4624-4735
Kevin V ThomasNorwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0002-2155-100X
Ben J TscharkeQueensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-3292-3534
Robin UdrisardEcole des Sciences Criminelles, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Alexander L N van NuijsDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toxicological Center, Antwerp, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0002-9377-6160
Viviane YargeauDepartment of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-7332-276X
Ettore ZuccatoIstituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-2094-2305
Sara CastiglioniIstituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-7313-8495
Christoph OrtEawag, Urban Water Management, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0001-9950-2286
University of Lausanne · CHInstitute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research · ESKing's College London · GBTechnische Universität Dresden · DEKWR Water Research Institute · NLMario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research · ITRuđer Bošković Institute · HRTechnical University of Denmark · DKThe University of Queensland · AUUniversidade de Santiago de Compostela · ESUniversitat Jaume I · ESUniversité Paris-Sud · FRUniversity of Bath · GBAristotle University of Thessaloniki · GRCipla (Belgium) · BECyprus International University · CYFinnish Institute for Health and Welfare · FINational and Kapodistrian University of Athens · GRNational Legal Medicine Institute · PTNorwegian Institute for Water Research · NO
Funding
Environmental Sustainability Knowledge Transfer Network, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and Thermo Fisher ScientificEU International Training Network SEWPROF 317205EU International Training Network SEWPROF Marie Curie-FP7-PEOPLEEuropean Cooperation in Science and Technology COST Action ES1307European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA)Galician Council of Culture, Education and Universities ED481D 2017/003Medical Research Council MR/S019669/1MINECO/AEI CTM2014-56628-C3-2-RMINECO/AEI CTM2016-81935-REDTMINECO/AEI CTM2017-84763-C3-2-RMINECO/AEI CTQ2015-65603-PNatural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)Slovene Research Agency L1-9191The Icelandic Research Fund 163049-051Thyne Reid FoundationWastewater Analysis of Traces of illicit drug-related Chemicals for law enforcement and public Health (WATCH) HOME/2015/ISFP/PR/DRUG/0062
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsWastewater-based epidemiology is an additional indicator of drug use that is gaining reliability to complement the current established panel of indicators. The aims of this study were to: (i) assess spatial and temporal trends of population-normalized mass loads of benzoylecgonine, amphetamine, methamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in raw wastewater over 7 years (2011-17); (ii) address overall drug use by estimating the average number of combined doses consumed per day in each city; and (iii) compare these with existing prevalence and seizure data.
designAnalysis of daily raw wastewater composite samples collected over 1 week per year from 2011 to 2017. SETTING AND
participantsCatchment areas of 143 wastewater treatment plants in 120 cities in 37 countries. MEASUREMENTS: Parent substances (amphetamine, methamphetamine and MDMA) and the metabolites of cocaine (benzoylecgonine) and of Δ
findingsBenzoylecgonine was the stimulant metabolite detected at higher loads in southern and western Europe, and amphetamine, MDMA and methamphetamine in East and North-Central Europe. In other continents, methamphetamine showed the highest levels in the United States and Australia and benzoylecgonine in South America. During the reporting period, benzoylecgonine loads increased in general across Europe, amphetamine and methamphetamine levels fluctuated and MDMA underwent an intermittent upsurge.
conclusionsThe analysis of wastewater to quantify drug loads provides near real-time drug use estimates that globally correspond to prevalence and seizure data.
Indexed as
Illicit DrugsSpatio-Temporal AnalysisAmphetamineChromatography, LiquidCocaineEnvironmental MonitoringHumansInternationalityMethamphetamineN-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamineSubstance Abuse DetectionTandem Mass SpectrometryWastewaterAmphetaminebenzoylecgonineCocaineIllicit DrugsMethamphetamineN-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamineWastewaterAmphetaminecocaineecstasy/MDMAillicit drugsmethamphetaminewastewater-based epidemiology
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