title: Estimation of amphetamine and methamphetamine uses in Beijing through sewage-based analysis.
abstract: Sewage epidemiology has been proven as an effective approach to estimate the use of illicit drugs by a population. In this study, sewage analysis was applied to examine the patterns of amphetamine (AMP) and methamphetamine (METH) uses in the urban area of Beijing. Influent and effluent samples were collected from all the thirteen sewage treatment plants (STPs) in the urban area during two sampling campaigns. METH concentrations in influents were found to range from several tens to several hundred ng·L(-1), whereas AMP concentrations ranged from several to several tens ng·L(-1). The concentration ratios between AMP and METH in influents at most STPs were close to the rate of AMP excretion following METH ingestion, indicating that AMP in sewage in Beijing was predominately from the metabolism of METH. Much higher METH loads were observed in the center part of the urban area in Beijing, indicating a strong correlation between METH use and economic level and entertainment activities. Seasonal variation in METH loads was significant, with greater use in summer than in winter. Significant difference in METH loads between weekdays and weekend days were observed in winter but not in summer. No clear trend in diurnal variation of METH use was observed. Nearly complete removal of METH occurred at the STPS in Beijing. Apparent removal rates of AMP were lower than those of METH, likely due to degradation of METH into AMP during the wastewater treatment processes. In summary, this study represents the first application of sewage epidemiology to the entire urban population of a metropolitan in mainland China and provided an overview of METH and AMP uses in the city.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, 100871 Beijing, PR China; Department of Civil Engineering & Applied Mechanics, McGill University, Montreal H3A 2K6, Canada.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, 100871 Beijing, PR China.
authors.forename: Linlin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, 100871 Beijing, PR China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: Beijing Urban Drainage Monitoring Center Co. Ltd., 100012 Beijing, PR China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, 100871 Beijing, PR China.
authors.forename: Kaiyang
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, 100871 Beijing, PR China.
authors.forename: Zeqiong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, 100871 Beijing, PR China.
authors.forename: Congcong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Beijing Urban Drainage Monitoring Center Co. Ltd., 100012 Beijing, PR China.
authors.forename: Huafang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, 100871 Beijing, PR China. Electronic address: xli@urban.pku.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xiqing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000661:Amphetamine / Q000032:analysis*; D002681:China; D002947:Cities; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000032:analysis*; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000032:analysis; D012722:Sewage / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000379:methods*; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs; D012722:Sewage; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008694:Methamphetamine; D000661:Amphetamine
keywords: Amphetamine; Beijing; Methamphetamine; Sewage epidemiology