Analys av narkotikapreparat i avloppsvatten : En indikation på narkotikaanvändningen i Umeå

Sammanfattning: Wastewater-based epidemiology can be used to analyse substances in wastewater and serve as a tool to examine the illegal drug consumption in a population. The aim of this study was to analyse concentrations of illegal drugs in wastewater from Öns wastewater treatment plant in Umeå, Sweden and i) compare concentrations of illegal drugs with previous studies from 11 and 9 years ago, ii) examine the weekly variation and iii) examine how Umeå's levels of drugs in wastewater relate to other cities in Sweden and Europe. The method used is flow proportional sampling. Three samples were collected on Monday (24-hours), Wednesday (24-hours) and a combined sample from the weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, i.e., 72-hours), the samples were transferred to vials containing sodium thiosulfate (Na2S2O3), they were transported refrigerated to a laboratory in Prague, Czech Republic, where the analysis was performed. This study gives strong indications that cocaine use has increased in Umeå over the past decade and is thus in line with the increasing trend of cocaine being measured in wastewater in other European cities. This study also provides indications that the use of amphetamine has increased in Umeå over the last decade and supports previously observed trends of high amphetamine levels in Sweden in comparison with the rest of Europe. The analysis indicates higher cocaine use on weekends compared to weekdays, while amphetamine use was more evenly distributed over the week.