Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42137493›Full record

ArticleACS ES&T water2026

First Detection of Xylazine in Texas Wastewater and Its Association with Fentanyl Use.

Katherine M Joseph, Xuan Qin, Dhvani Parikh, Feng Li, John Balliew, Kristina D Mena, Fuqing Wu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in ACS ES&T water, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Interpol review of forensic drug chemistry, 2022-2025.Forensic science international. Synergy · 2026
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Katherine M JosephDepartment of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health, Houston, TX, USA.
Xuan QinCenter for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
Dhvani ParikhDepartment of Epidemiology, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health, Houston, TX, USA.
Feng LiCenter for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
John BalliewEl Paso Water Utility, El Paso, TX, United States.
Kristina D MenaDepartment of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health, Houston, TX, USA.
Fuqing WuDepartment of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health, Houston, TX, USA.

Funding

Wastewater Sampling: A New Tool to Accelerate Ending the HIV EpidemicR01DA059394 · NIDA · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · PI Thomas P Giordano · 2023 to 2026
$3.1M
A wastewater approach to viral transmission, evolution, and ecologyR01AI192873 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON · PI Fuqing Wu · 2025 to 2026
$1.1M
NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI192873NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA059394NIOSH CDC HHS T42 OH008421
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Xylazine is a veterinary sedative increasingly found in the U.S. illicit drug supply and is a growing public health concern due to its association with overdose events. To investigate its spatial distribution and relationship with fentanyl use, we analyzed 124 wastewater samples from four treatment plants serving the City of El Paso, Texas, over 13 months (June 2023 to July 2024) using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Xylazine detections varied across sewersheds, with detection rates of 29.0%, 12.9%, 9.7%, and 0% and peak loads of 110±40 μg/day/1000 people. Norfentanyl (a primary fentanyl metabolite) was detected in all samples (100%), reaching peak loads of 2400±300 μg/day/1000 people. Sewersheds with higher xylazine detection exhibited significantly higher norfentanyl loads (p<0.05), suggesting a community-level association between xylazine and fentanyl use. This study provides the first evidence of xylazine in Texas wastewater and demonstrates the utility of wastewater monitoring for tracking emerging drug trends. These findings could inform resource allocation and public health planning for harm reduction services, including xylazine awareness programs.

Indexed as

border communitiesfentanylillicit drugswastewater-based epidemiologyXylazine

Identifiers

PMID42137493
PMCPMC13170362

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.