PMID- 23782033
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20140623
LR  - 20221207
IS  - 1465-3362 (Electronic)
IS  - 0959-5236 (Linking)
VI  - 32
IP  - 6
DP  - 2013 Nov
TI  - Using quantitative wastewater analysis to measure daily usage of conventional and 
      emerging illicit drugs at an annual music festival.
PG  - 594-602
LID - 10.1111/dar.12061 [doi]
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: 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. DESIGN AND 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. DISCUSSION AND 
      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.
CI  - (c) 2013 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.
FAU - Lai, Foon Yin
AU  - Lai FY
AD  - National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology, The University of 
      Queensland, Coopers Plains, Australia.
FAU - Thai, Phong K
AU  - Thai PK
FAU - O'Brien, Jake
AU  - O'Brien J
FAU - Gartner, Coral
AU  - Gartner C
FAU - Bruno, Raimondo
AU  - Bruno R
FAU - Kele, Benjamin
AU  - Kele B
FAU - Ort, Christoph
AU  - Ort C
FAU - Prichard, Jeremy
AU  - Prichard J
FAU - Kirkbride, Paul
AU  - Kirkbride P
FAU - Hall, Wayne
AU  - Hall W
FAU - Carter, Steve
AU  - Carter S
FAU - Mueller, Jochen F
AU  - Mueller JF
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
DEP - 20130619
PL  - Australia
TA  - Drug Alcohol Rev
JT  - Drug and alcohol review
JID - 9015440
RN  - 0 (Illicit Drugs)
RN  - 0 (Waste Water)
SB  - IM
MH  - Adolescent
MH  - Adult
MH  - Child
MH  - Humans
MH  - Illicit Drugs/*analysis
MH  - Middle Aged
MH  - Music
MH  - Statistics, Nonparametric
MH  - Substance Abuse Detection/*methods
MH  - Substance-Related Disorders/*epidemiology
MH  - Urban Population
MH  - Wastewater/*analysis
MH  - Young Adult
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - Australia
OT  - consumption pattern
OT  - sewage epidemiology
OT  - substance misuse
EDAT- 2013/06/21 06:00
MHDA- 2014/06/24 06:00
CRDT- 2013/06/21 06:00
PHST- 2013/03/10 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2013/05/22 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2013/06/21 06:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2013/06/21 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2014/06/24 06:00 [medline]
AID - 10.1111/dar.12061 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Drug Alcohol Rev. 2013 Nov;32(6):594-602. doi: 10.1111/dar.12061. Epub 2013 Jun 
      19.