Academic Journal
Cracking the code - an integrated wastewater-based approach for a more comprehensive assessment of current trends in cocaine and crack use in Switzerland.
| Τίτλος: | Cracking the code - an integrated wastewater-based approach for a more comprehensive assessment of current trends in cocaine and crack use in Switzerland. |
|---|---|
| Συγγραφείς: | Andrani L; Ecole des Sciences Criminelles (School of Criminal Justice), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland E-mail: livia.andrani@unil.ch., Marti V; Ecole des Sciences Criminelles (School of Criminal Justice), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland., Forterre M; Ecole des Sciences Criminelles (School of Criminal Justice), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland., Saric N; Ecole des Sciences Criminelles (School of Criminal Justice), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland., Udrisard R; Addiction Suisse, Lausanne, Switzerland., Zobel F; Addiction Suisse, Lausanne, Switzerland., Samitca S; Unisanté, Lausanne, Switzerland., Delémont O; Ecole des Sciences Criminelles (School of Criminal Justice), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland., Esseiva P; Ecole des Sciences Criminelles (School of Criminal Justice), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. |
| Πηγή: | Journal of water and health [J Water Health] 2026 Feb; Vol. 24 (2), pp. 204-220. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jan 22. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: IWA Pub Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101185420 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 1477-8920 (Print) Linking ISSN: 14778920 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Water Health Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: London ; Avenel, NJ : IWA Pub., c2003- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Wastewater*/chemistry , Wastewater*/analysis , Cocaine*/analogs & derivatives , Cocaine*/analysis , Crack Cocaine*/analysis , Water Pollutants, Chemical*/analysis, Switzerland/epidemiology ; Environmental Monitoring/methods ; Humans ; Cities |
| Περίληψη: | In Switzerland, as in the rest of Europe and beyond, increasing cocaine and crack use, along with related social and health harms, is a serious concern to authorities. The aim of this study was to provide objective data on this complex situation by integrating wastewater analysis, targeting benzoylecgonine (BE) and anhydroecgonine methyl ester (AEME) in 13 Swiss cities from 2021 to 2024, with street-level cocaine purity data obtained from near-infrared spectroscopy analyses, and survey data on user populations and administration routes used to compute a weighted BE excretion rate. Results highlighted strong weekly and spatial trends in BE loads and an overall increase in cocaine consumption, part of which could be attributed to the increase in cocaine purity. Unexpectedly, AEME loads did not increase; however, spatial trends were similar to those of BE, highlighting a correlation between AEME and BE loads. Overall, evolutions of crack cocaine use must be accounted for when monitoring general cocaine consumption through BE wastewater loads due to large differences in excretion rates. Thus, triangulation of multiple data sources allowed for a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the cocaine and crack cocaine situation in Switzerland, which is crucial to the implementation of tailored and efficient measures. (© 2026 The Authors This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (CC BY 4.0), which permits copying, adaptation and redistribution, provided the original work is properly cited (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).) |
| Competing Interests: | The authors declare there is no conflict. |
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| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: anhydroecgonine methyl ester; benzoylecgonine; data triangulation; illicit drugs; near-infrared spectroscopy; public health |
| Substance Nomenclature: | 0 (Wastewater) I5Y540LHVR (Cocaine) 0 (Crack Cocaine) 5353I8I6YS (benzoylecgonine) 0 (Water Pollutants, Chemical) 43021-26-7 (anhydroecgonine methyl ester) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260301 Date Completed: 20260710 Latest Revision: 20260710 |
| Update Code: | 20260711 |
| DOI: | 10.2166/wh.2026.228 |
| PMID: | 41764392 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
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