title: Using quantitative wastewater analysis to measure daily usage of conventional and emerging illicit drugs at an annual music festival.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Wastewater analysis provides a non-intrusive way of measuring drug use within a population. We used this approach to determine daily use of conventional illicit drugs [cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)] and emerging illicit psychostimulants (benzylpiperazine, mephedrone and methylone) in two consecutive years (2010 and 2011) at an annual music festival.
  
  
  METHODS
  Daily composite wastewater samples, representative of the festival, were collected from the on-site wastewater treatment plant and analysed for drug metabolites. Data over 2 years were compared using Wilcoxon matched-pair test. Data from 2010 festival were compared with data collected at the same time from a nearby urban community using equivalent methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Conventional illicit drugs were detected in all samples whereas emerging illicit psychostimulants were found only on specific days. The estimated per capita consumption of MDMA, cocaine and cannabis was similar between the two festival years. Statistically significant (P < 0.05; Z = -2.0-2.2) decreases were observed in use of methamphetamine and one emerging illicit psychostimulant (benzyl piperazine). Only consumption of MDMA was elevated at the festival compared with the nearby urban community.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Rates of substance use at this festival remained relatively consistent over two monitoring years. Compared with the urban community, drug use among festival goers was only elevated for MDMA, confirming its popularity in music settings. Our study demonstrated that wastewater analysis can objectively capture changes in substance use at a music setting without raising major ethical issues. It would potentially allow effective assessments of drug prevention strategies in such settings in the future.
authors.affiliation: National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology, The University of Queensland, Coopers Plains, Australia.
authors.forename: Foon Yin
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Phong K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Thai
authors.forename: Jake
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: Coral
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gartner
authors.forename: Raimondo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bruno
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kele
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ort
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Prichard
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kirkbride
authors.forename: Wayne
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.forename: Jochen F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Mueller
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000032:analysis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009146:Music; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000379:methods*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014505:Urban Population; D062065:Wastewater / Q000032:analysis*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs; D062065:Wastewater
keywords: Australia; consumption pattern; sewage epidemiology; substance misuse