RT Journal Article
T1 Use of illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco in Spain and Portugal during the COVID-19 crisis in 2020 as measured by wastewater-based epidemiology
A1 Estévez-Danta, Andrea
A1 Bijlsma, Lubertus
A1 Capela, Ricardo
A1 Cela Torrijos, Rafael
A1 Celma, Alberto
A1 Hernández, Félix
A1 Lertxundi, Unax
A1 Matías, João
A1 Montes Goyanes, Rosa
A1 Orive, Gorka
A1 Prieto Sobrino, Ailette
A1 Santos, Miguel M.
A1 Rodil Rodríguez, María del Rosario
A1 Quintana Álvarez, José Benito
K1 Drugs of abuse
K1 Nicotine
K1 Ethanol
K1 Wastewater surveillance
K1 Coronavirus
K1 Lockdown
AB The COVID-19 pandemic spread rapidly worldwide in the year 2020, which was initially restrained by drastic mobility restrictions. In this work, we investigated the use of illicit drugs (amphetamine, methamphetamine, ecstasy, cocaine and cannabis), and licit substances of abuse (alcohol and tobacco) during the earlier months (March–July 2020) of the pandemic restrictions in four Spanish (Bilbao and its metropolitan area, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Castellón and Santiago de Compostela) and two Portuguese (Porto and Vila do Conde) locations by wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). The results show that no methamphetamine was detected in any of the locations monitored, while amphetamine use was only detectable in the two locations from the Basque Country (Bilbao and its metropolitan area and Vitoria-Gasteiz), with high estimated average usage rates (700–930 mg day−1 1000 inhabitant−1). The remaining substances were detected in all the investigated catchment areas. In general, no remarkable changes were found in population normalized loads compared to former years, except for cocaine (i.e. its main metabolite, benzoylecgonine). For this drug, a notable decrease in use was discernible in Castellón, while its usage in Porto and Santiago de Compostela seemed to continue in a rising trend, already initiated in former years. Furthermore, two events of ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, MDMA) dumping in the sewage network were confirmed by enantiomeric analysis, one in Santiago de Compostela just prior the lockdown and the second one in the Bilbao and its metropolitan area in July after relieving the more stringent measures. The latter could also be associated with a police intervention. The comparison of WBE with (web) survey data, which do not provide information at a local level, points towards contradictory conclusions for some of the substances, thereby highlighting the need for stable WBE networks capable of near real-time monitoring drug use
PB Elsevier
SN 0048-9697
YR 2022
FD 2022
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10347/28664
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10347/28664
LA eng
NO Science of The Total Environment 836 (2022) 155697
NO This research was funded by the Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación – MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 (CTM2016-81935-REDT, PID2020-117686RB-C32 and PID2020-117686RB-C31), Consellería de Cultura de Galicia, Educación e Universidades (ED481A-2020/258 and ED431C 2021/06), Delegación del Gobierno para el Plan Nacional Sobre Drogas (2020I009), Instituto de Salud Carlos III-Next Generation EU (RD21/0009/0012 – RIAPAd Network), Generalitat Valenciana (Research Group of Excellence Prometeo 2019/040), Fundación Vital (Vitoria-Gasteiz) and Ayuntamiento de Vitoria-Gasteiz
DS Minerva
RD 28 abr 2026