title: Comparative measurement and quantitative risk assessment of alcohol consumption through wastewater-based epidemiology: An international study in 20 cities.
abstract: Quantitative measurement of drug consumption biomarkers in wastewater can provide objective information on community drug use patterns and trends. This study presents the measurement of alcohol consumption in 20 cities across 11 countries through the use of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), and reports the application of these data for the risk assessment of alcohol on a population scale using the margin of exposure (MOE) approach. Raw 24-h composite wastewater samples were collected over a one-week period from 20 cities following a common protocol. For each sample a specific and stable alcohol consumption biomarker, ethyl sulfate (EtS) was determined by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. The EtS concentrations were used for estimation of per capita alcohol consumption in each city, which was further compared with international reports and applied for risk assessment by MOE. The average per capita consumption in 20 cities ranged between 6.4 and 44.3L/day/1000 inhabitants. An increase in alcohol consumption during the weekend occurred in all cities, however the level of this increase was found to differ. In contrast to conventional data (sales statistics and interviews), WBE revealed geographical differences in the level and pattern of actual alcohol consumption at an inter-city level. All the sampled cities were in the "high risk" category (MOE<10) and the average MOE for the whole population studied was 2.5. These results allowed direct comparisons of alcohol consumption levels, patterns and risks among the cities. This study shows that WBE can provide timely and complementary information on alcohol use and alcohol associated risks in terms of exposure at the community level.
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Gaustadalleen 21, 0349 Oslo, Norway; Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, PO box 1078 Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: yeonsuk.ryu@niva.no.
authors.forename: Yeonsuk
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.affiliation: Water and Soil Quality Research Group, Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), C/ Jordi Girona, 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain; Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Parc Científic i Tecnològic de la Universitat de Girona, Edifici H2O, Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain.
authors.forename: Damià
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Barceló
authors.affiliation: Analytical & Environmental Sciences Division, King's College London, 150 Stamford Street, SE1 9NH, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Leon P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Barron
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, Avda. Sos Baynat, E-12071 Castellón, Spain.
authors.forename: Lubertus
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bijlsma
authors.affiliation: IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Castiglioni
authors.affiliation: KWR Watercycle Research Institute, Chemical Water Quality and Health, P.O. Boxs 1072, 3430 BB Nieuwegein, The Netherlands; Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Pim
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: de Voogt
authors.affiliation: KWR Watercycle Research Institute, Chemical Water Quality and Health, P.O. Boxs 1072, 3430 BB Nieuwegein, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Emke
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, Avda. Sos Baynat, E-12071 Castellón, Spain.
authors.forename: Félix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hernández
authors.affiliation: National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4108, Australia.
authors.forename: Foon Yin
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lisbon, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Alvaro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.affiliation: Water and Soil Quality Research Group, Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), C/ Jordi Girona, 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Miren López
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: de Alda
authors.affiliation: Water and Soil Quality Research Group, Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), C/ Jordi Girona, 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mastroianni
authors.affiliation: Analytical & Environmental Sciences Division, King's College London, 150 Stamford Street, SE1 9NH, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Munro
authors.affiliation: National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4108, Australia.
authors.forename: Jake
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.affiliation: Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, CH, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ort
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Miljøvej, Building 113, 2800 Kgs, Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Benedek G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Plósz
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Gaustadalleen 21, 0349 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Malcolm J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, 3610 University St., Montreal, QC J3N 1V3, Canada.
authors.forename: Viviane
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Yargeau
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Gaustadalleen 21, 0349 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Kevin V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D001315:Australia; D002170:Canada; D002947:Cities; D005060:Europe; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D062065:Wastewater / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D062065:Wastewater
keywords: Alcohol; Biomarker analysis; Drug epidemiology; Ethyl sulfate; Margin of exposure; Wastewater