Academic Journal
Unlocking spatiotemporal insights in crack cocaine use in Europe through a wastewater-based epidemiology approach.
| Τίτλος: | Unlocking spatiotemporal insights in crack cocaine use in Europe through a wastewater-based epidemiology approach. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Taamarti I; Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium., Van Wichelen N; Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium., Quireyns M; Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium., Laak TT; Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; KWR Water Research Institute, Nieuwegein, the Netherlands., Vanaga-Arāja D; Slimību profilakses un kontroles centrs, Riga, Latvia., Rasimaite B; Narkotikų, tabako ir alkoholio kontrolės departamentas, Vilnius, Lithuania., Gremeaux L; Drugs Unit, Epidemiology and public health, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium., Delputte P; Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium., Hudda NU; Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium., De Roeck N; Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium., Verhaegen B; Foodborne pathogens, Infectious diseases in humans, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium., Van Hoorde K; Foodborne pathogens, Infectious diseases in humans, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium., Maloux H; Epidemiology of infectious diseases, Epidemiology and public health, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium., Hutse V; Epidemiology of infectious diseases, Epidemiology and public health, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium., Matias JP; European Union Drugs Agency, Lisbon, Portugal., Covaci A; Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium., van Nuijs ALN; Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium., Boogaerts T; Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium. Electronic address: tim.boogaerts@uantwerpen.be. |
| Πηγή: | The International journal on drug policy [Int J Drug Policy] 2026 Jun; Vol. 152, pp. 105262. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Apr 02. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 9014759 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-4758 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 09553959 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Int J Drug Policy Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: 1998- : Amsterdam ; New York : Elsevier Original Publication: Liverpool, England : International Journal on Drug Policy |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Crack Cocaine*/analysis , Cocaine-Related Disorders*/epidemiology , Wastewater*/chemistry , Wastewater*/analysis , Wastewater-Based Epidemiological Monitoring*, Europe/epidemiology ; Cocaine/analogs & derivatives ; Cocaine/analysis ; Humans ; Spatio-Temporal Analysis |
| Περίληψη: | Background and Aims: The increasing prevalence of crack cocaine across Europe is concerning. In contrast to benzoylecgonine (BE), the analysis of anhydroecgonine methyl ester (AEME) in influent wastewater (IWW) supports the estimation of crack cocaine use at the population level, since it is exclusively formed as a pyrolysis product during inhalation. This study aims to monitor spatiotemporal trends in the population-normalized mass loads of AEME and BE in IWW of different European communities, as a proxy for human consumption. Methods: A validated analytical method quantified AEME and BE in IWW from different European cities. A 2024 spatial analysis compared Western and Eastern European cities, while monthly IWW composites in May 2023 covered 24 cities in Flanders (Belgium). Yearly trends were evaluated over six years (2019-2024) in Antwerp and Brussels. Results: Higher population-normalized mass loads of AEME and BE were observed in Belgium and the Netherlands compared to Eastern European countries. In Lithuania, Latvia and Romania, AEME concentrations were generally below the lower limit of quantification. The spatial analysis in Flanders showed that crack cocaine use was not limited to urban locations. In Belgium, the population-normalized mass loads of AEME remained stable throughout the six-year period with no clear week-weekend pattern, suggesting continuous use due to its highly addictive properties. Conclusions: AEME is a reliable biomarker for estimating crack cocaine use in populations using IWW analysis. WBE is a strong and effective monitoring tool, essential to feed situational analysis and allows timely insights to support public health surveillance. (Copyright © 2026 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Anhydroecgonine methyl ester; Benzoylecgonine; Crack cocaine; Spatiotemporal trend analysis; Wastewater surveillance |
| Substance Nomenclature: | 0 (Crack Cocaine) 5353I8I6YS (benzoylecgonine) 0 (Wastewater) I5Y540LHVR (Cocaine) 43021-26-7 (anhydroecgonine methyl ester) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260403 Date Completed: 20260714 Latest Revision: 20260714 |
| Update Code: | 20260714 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.drugpo.2026.105262 |
| PMID: | 41931860 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1873-4758 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.drugpo.2026.105262 |