The consumption of alcohol in a population is usually monitored through individual questionnaires, forensics, and toxicological data. However, consumption estimates have some biases, mainly due to the accumulation of alcohol stocks. This study's objective was to assess alcohol consumption in Slovakia during the COVID-19 pandemic-related lockdown using wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). Samples of municipal wastewater were collected from three Slovak cities during the lockdown and during a successive period with lifted restrictions in 2020. The study included about 14% of the Slovak population. The urinary alcohol biomarker, ethyl sulfate (EtS), was analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). EtS concentrations were used to estimate the per capita alcohol consumption in each city. The average alcohol consumption in the selected cities in 2020 ranged between 2.1 and 327 L/day/1000 inhabitants and increased during days with weaker restrictions. WBE can provide timely information on alcohol consumption at the community level, complementing epidemiology-based monitoring techniques (e.g., population surveys and sales statistics).
- MeSH
- chromatografie kapalinová metody MeSH
- COVID-19 * epidemiologie MeSH
- epidemiologie odpadních vod * MeSH
- ethanol analýza MeSH
- kontrola infekčních nemocí MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- pandemie MeSH
- pití alkoholu epidemiologie MeSH
- tandemová hmotnostní spektrometrie metody MeSH
- velkoměsta MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Slovenská republika MeSH
- velkoměsta MeSH
The presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater was first reported in March 2020. Over the subsequent months, the potential for wastewater surveillance to contribute to COVID-19 mitigation programmes has been the focus of intense national and international research activities, gaining the attention of policy makers and the public. As a new application of an established methodology, focused collaboration between public health practitioners and wastewater researchers is essential to developing a common understanding on how, when and where the outputs of this non-invasive community-level approach can deliver actionable outcomes for public health authorities. Within this context, the NORMAN SCORE "SARS-CoV-2 in sewage" database provides a platform for rapid, open access data sharing, validated by the uploading of 276 data sets from nine countries to-date. Through offering direct access to underpinning meta-data sets (and describing its use in data interpretation), the NORMAN SCORE database is a resource for the development of recommendations on minimum data requirements for wastewater pathogen surveillance. It is also a tool to engage public health practitioners in discussions on use of the approach, providing an opportunity to build mutual understanding of the demand and supply for data and facilitate the translation of this promising research application into public health practice.
- MeSH
- COVID-19 * MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- odpadní voda MeSH
- RNA virová MeSH
- SARS-CoV-2 * MeSH
- veřejné zdravotnictví MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- přehledy MeSH
Consumption of alcohol and new psychoactive substances (NPS) in a population or during special events (music festivals) is usually monitored through individual questionnaires, forensic and toxicological data, and drug seizures. However, consumption estimates have some biases due mostly to the unknown composition of drug pills for NPS and stockpiling for alcohol. The aim of this study was to evaluate for the first time the real use of alcohol and the occurrence of NPS in Slovakia by wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). Urban wastewater samples were collected from nine Slovak cities over two years (2017-2018) and during three music festivals. The study included about 20% of the Slovak population and 50 000 festival attendees. The urinary alcohol biomarker ethyl sulfate (EtS) and thirty NPS were analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC - MS/MS). EtS concentrations were used for estimating the per capita alcohol consumption in each city. The average alcohol consumption in the selected cities and festivals in 2017-2018 ranged between 7 and 126 L/day/1000 inhabitants and increased during the weekends and music festivals. Five NPS belonging to the classes of synthetic cathinones (mephedrone, methcathinone, buphedrone and pentedrone) and phenethylamines (25-iP-NBoMe) were found in the low ng/L range. Methcathinone was the most frequently detected NPS, while the highest normalized mass load corresponded to mephedrone (3.1 mg/day/1000 inhabitants). Wastewater-based epidemiology can provide timely information on alcohol consumption and NPS occurrence at the community level that is complementary to epidemiology-based monitoring techniques (e.g. population surveys, police seizures, sales statistics).
- MeSH
- chromatografie kapalinová metody MeSH
- dovolená MeSH
- epidemiologie odpadních vod * MeSH
- estery kyseliny sírové analýza moč MeSH
- ethanol analýza MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- odpadní voda chemie MeSH
- pití alkoholu epidemiologie MeSH
- psychotropní léky analýza moč MeSH
- tandemová hmotnostní spektrometrie metody MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Slovenská republika MeSH
- velkoměsta MeSH
Various types of micropollutants, e.g., pharmaceuticals and their metabolites and resistant strains of pathogenic microorganisms, are usually found in hospital wastewaters. The aim of this paper was to study the presence of 74 frequently used pharmaceuticals, legal and illegal drugs, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in 5 hospital wastewaters in Slovakia and Czechia and to compare the efficiency of several advanced oxidations processes (AOPs) for sanitation and treatment of such highly polluted wastewaters. The occurrence of micropollutants and antibiotic-resistant bacteria was investigated by in-line SPE-LC-MS/MS technique and cultivation on antibiotic and antibiotic-free selective diagnostic media, respectively. The highest maximum concentrations were found for cotinine (6700 ng/L), bisoprolol (5200 ng/L), metoprolol (2600 ng/L), tramadol (2400 ng/L), sulfamethoxazole (1500 ng/L), and ranitidine (1400 ng/L). In the second part of the study, different advanced oxidation processes, modified Fenton reaction, ferrate(VI), and oxidation by boron-doped diamond electrode were tested in order to eliminate the abovementioned pollutants. Obtained results indicate that the modified Fenton reaction and application of boron-doped diamond electrode were able to eliminate almost the whole spectrum of selected micropollutants with efficiency higher than 90%. All studied methods achieved complete removal of the antibiotic-resistant bacteria present in hospital wastewaters.
- MeSH
- bakteriální léková rezistence MeSH
- bor MeSH
- chemické látky znečišťující vodu analýza MeSH
- chromatografie kapalinová MeSH
- diamant MeSH
- elektrody MeSH
- léčivé přípravky analýza MeSH
- nemocnice MeSH
- odpad tekutý - odstraňování přístrojové vybavení metody MeSH
- odpadní voda analýza chemie mikrobiologie MeSH
- oxidace-redukce MeSH
- peroxid vodíku chemie MeSH
- tandemová hmotnostní spektrometrie MeSH
- zakázané drogy analýza MeSH
- zdravotnický odpad MeSH
- železo chemie MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
- Slovenská republika MeSH
The aim of this study was to analyze 26 various illicit drugs, psychopharmaceuticals and metabolites thereof in sewer from 17 selected wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the Slovak and Czech Republics. Urinary bio-markers used were analyzed using liquid chromatography coupled with the tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). We then compared our results with data obtained in other parts of Europe and the world. The present study shows that the Slovak and Czech Republics have one of the highest methamphetamine consumption rates in Europe. Within Slovakia, the highest level of methamphetamine consumption was found in Dunajská Streda with the mean specific load of the drug in sewage being up to 479mg/day/1000 inhabitants; the next highest load was detected in Trnava (354mg/day/1000 inhabitants). The methamphetamine, ecstasy and cannabis consumptions in our study were comparable to those found in other European cities, whereas cocaine consumption was lower. Among all of the studied psychopharmaceuticals, tramadol and venlafaxine were represented in the highest concentrations. The highest mean specific load of tramadol was detected in the spa town of Piešťany (371mg/day/1000 inhabitants) and Košice (372mg/day/1000 inhabitants), while the highest mean loads of venlafaxine were recorded for the towns of Trenčín (230mg/day/1000 inhabitants) and Piešťany (108mg/day/1000 inhabitants).
- MeSH
- chromatografie kapalinová MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- monitorování životního prostředí metody MeSH
- odhalování abúzu drog metody MeSH
- odpadní voda chemie MeSH
- psychotropní léky analýza MeSH
- tandemová hmotnostní spektrometrie MeSH
- tetrahydrokanabinol analogy a deriváty analýza MeSH
- zakázané drogy analýza MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Slovenská republika MeSH
Wastewater analysis is a powerful method that can provide useful information about the abuse of legal and illicit drugs. The aim of our study was to determine nicotine consumption during four different music festivals and to find a connection between smoking and preferences for specific music styles using wastewater analysis. The amount of the nicotine metabolite cotinine was monitored in wastewater at the influent of three waste water treatment plants WWTPs in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, where the festivals took place. Urinary bio-markers of nicotine utilization were analyzed by LC-HRMS. More than 80,000 festival participants were monitored during our study from June to September 2014. A significant increase of nicotine consumption was observed in wastewaters during music festivals. The nicotine ingestion level was back-calculated and expressed as mass of pure drug consumed per day and per 1000 inhabitants for selected cities of both countries. The highest differences between typical levels of cotinine in wastewaters and the levels during music festivals were detected in Piešťany: 4 g/L/1000 inhabitants during non-festival days compared to 8 g/L/1000 inhabitants during the Topfest pop-rock festival and 6g/L/1000 inhabitants during the Grape dance festival. No significant increase of the amounts of cotinine in wastewater was recorded for the Country and Folk festivals.
- MeSH
- chemické látky znečišťující vodu analýza MeSH
- hudba MeSH
- kotinin analýza MeSH
- kouření epidemiologie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- odpadní voda analýza MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika epidemiologie MeSH
- Slovenská republika epidemiologie MeSH
The aim of this study was to compare estimation of nicotine use in Slovakia (SR) and the Czech Republic (CR) based on cotinine analysis in wastewater from seven selected wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) with conventional estimation based on tobacco product sales. Urinary bio-markers of nicotine use were analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The study was performed concurrently at all the WWTPs (from 11 to 18 March 2014). Representative 24 h composite samples were analyzed with on line SPE/LC-MS/MS method. Based on the average residence time of wastewater in the sewers and the average time in the sampling device, specific correction coefficients were designed to improve estimation of nicotine consumption. Nicotine ingestion level was back-calculated and expressed as mass of pure drug consumed per day and per 1000 inhabitants for selected cities of both countries (mean, 2.2 g for Piešťany and 8.0 g for Nitra, respectively). Consequently, the cigarette consumption results were recalculated for each country separately and compared with the data of both national statistical offices (2362 cigarettes/year/person--SR and 2088 cigarettes/year/person--CR). Our results highly correspond to the data of national statistical offices (up to 99.9% in SR and to 96% in CR). The average amount of money invested in cigarette sales was estimated in the capitals of both countries. It is about 1 million EUR/day for Prague and about 0.3 million EUR/day for Bratislava. The calculation of nicotine consumption, utilizing a specific correction coefficient, is the correct way to obtain more accurate data in drug studies of this kind, thus allowing a better drug abuse assessment.
- MeSH
- chromatografie kapalinová MeSH
- kouření epidemiologie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- nikotin analýza MeSH
- nikotinoví agonisté analýza MeSH
- odpadní voda analýza MeSH
- tandemová hmotnostní spektrometrie MeSH
- velkoměsta MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
- Slovenská republika MeSH
- velkoměsta MeSH
We analyzed 13 psychoactive pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs and their metabolites in wastewater treatment plant influent and effluent and the possibility of their degradation by biological and chemical processes. Tramadol (413-853 ng/L) and methamphetamine (460-682 ng/L) were the most concentrated compounds in the wastewater in winter and summer, respectively. A significant decrease in the concentration of tramadol in wastewater was measured during the summer. The lowest efficiency was observed for tramadol, venlafaxine, citalopram and oxazepam (∼ 10%) and the highest efficiency was observed for amphetamine and THC-COOH (∼ 80%). The efficiency of compound degradation via the Fenton reaction, a modified Fenton reaction and different degradation (by algae, wood-rotting fungi and enzymes at influent versus effluent) was determined. The Fenton reaction and its modification were efficient at eliminating these substances in comparison with the tested biological processes.
- MeSH
- adsorpce MeSH
- chemické látky znečišťující vodu analýza chemie metabolismus MeSH
- Chlorella chemie metabolismus MeSH
- čištění vody metody MeSH
- enzymy chemie MeSH
- kyseliny sírové chemie MeSH
- léčivé přípravky analýza chemie metabolismus MeSH
- odpadní voda analýza MeSH
- peroxid vodíku chemie MeSH
- Pleurotus chemie metabolismus MeSH
- železité sloučeniny chemie MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
