Table 1.
Concentration of illicit drugs and their select metabolites (ng/L) in wastewater influent from two centralized wastewater treatment plants in Western Kentucky, USA. The number after forward slash “/” represents the detection frequency.
| Analytes | Mean Concentration ± SD at WWTPA
|
Mean Concentration ± SD at WWTPB
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independence Day Observation Week |
Typical Week | First Week of Semester |
Independence Day Observation Week |
Typical Week | Solar Eclipse Observation Week (n=4) |
Other US studies | |
| Stimulants | |||||||
| Cocaine (CCN) | 88.8 ± 58.4/100 | 105 ± 40.1/100 | 79.6 ± 43.2/100 | 197 ± 65.7/100 | 160 ± 56.9/100 | 201 ± 65.6/100 | 43.2-1110a,b,d |
| Benzoylecgonine (BEG) | 254 ± 91.9/100 | 276 ± 56.2/100 | 228 ± 99.0/100 | 959 ± 319/100 | 987 ± 204/100 | 1200 ± 390/100 | 157-3020 a,b,d |
| Norcocaine (NCCN) | 48.9 ± 48.0/100 | 25.7 ± 23.5/100 | 9.22 ± 5.72/100 | 4.93 ± 2.01/57 | 9.73 ± 1.93/100 | 6.54 ± 3.04/100 | 2.92-36a,b,d |
| Cocaethylene (CCE) | 43.4 ± 38.6/100 | 20.0 ± 16.7/100 | 8.57 ± 7.25/100 | 14.5 ± 7.84/71 | 9.39 ± 4.14/86 | 6.87 ± 3.12/100 | 2.71-7.18d |
| Amphetamine (APT) | 184 ± 83.5/100 | 243 ± 13.5/100 | 182 ± 72.0/100 | 248 ± 51.7/100 | 333 ± 40.8/100 | 517 ± 55.1/100 | 15.8-362a,b,d |
| Methamphetamine (MAPT) | 603 ± 152/100 | 690 ± 91.9/100 | 577 ± 96.9/100 | 1200 ± 238/100 | 1350 ± 107/100 | 1560 ± 128/100 | 3.82-2750a,b,c,d |
| Opioids/Narcotics | |||||||
| Heroin (HER) | 859 ± 248/86 | 226 ± 76.8/100 | ND | 385 ± 258/43 | ND | ND | |
| 6-acetyl morphine (AMPH) | 554 ± 572/86 | 224 ± 279/100 | 11.2 ± 11.7/100 | 63.6 ± 47.3/57 | 5.42 ± 3.00/43 | 2.06 ± 1.45/100 | |
| Morphine (MPH) | 138 ± 72.7/100 | 161 ± 28.6/100 | 110 ± 25.0/100 | 107 ± 27.5/100 | 141 ± 30.7/100 | 193 ± 14.5/100 | 62.4-1540b,d |
| Methadone (MTD) | 55.9 ± 27.8/100 | 43.4 ± 8.46/100 | 27.9 ± 5.92/100 | 28.9 ± 4.82/100 | 42.0 ± 3.74/100 | 55.4 ± 8.81/100 | 5.41-33.7a,d |
| EDDP | 166 ± 77.0/100 | 158 ± 47.4/100 | 97.9 ± 14.2/100 | 137 ± 23.1/100 | 177 ± 25.1/100 | 204 ± 45.0/100 | 11.8-70.2d |
| Hallucinogens | |||||||
| MDMA | 47.9 ± 42.4/86 | 19.7 ± 19.6/100 | 8.36 ± 7.30/100 | <LOQ | <LOQ | 6.53 ± 2.88/100 | 1.09-2083a,b,d |
| MDEA | 42.4 ± 39.9/86 | 19.2 ± 18.8/100 | 6.85 ± 6.89/100 | ND | ND | ND | 2.33-10.6d |
| MDA | 56.2 ± 42.6/100 | 26.8 ± 24.4/100 | 6.67 ± 5.14/100 | 4.96 ± 4.43/86 | <LOQ | ND | 5.0-3010a,b,d |
| THC | 21.7 ± 24.2/71 | 22.1 ± 8.31/100 | ND | 8.33 ± 9.35/57 | 38.1 ± 63.7/86 | 65.2 ± 75.7/50 | NA |
| THCA | 275 ± 181/100 | 499 ± 143/100 | 435 ± 211/100 | 562 ± 146/100 | 505 ± 79.0/100 | 767± 353/100 | NA |
| THC-OH | 1620 ± 3270/100 | 1130 ± 390/100 | 622 ± 433/100 | 98.0 ± 64.2/100 | 176 ± 71.0/100 | 263 ± 106/100 | NA |
a
in seven WWTP across the USA (Chiaia et al., 2008);
b
in a WWTP in the USA (Gerrity et al., 2011);
c
in a WWTP from KY, USA (Loganathan et al., 2009);
d
in two WWTPs from Albany, NY (Subedi and Kannan, 2014).