Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, 100871 Beijing, PR China; Department of Civil Engineering & Applied Mechanics, McGill University, Montreal H3A 2K6, Canada.
Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, 100871 Beijing, PR China.
Sci Total Environ. 2014 Aug 15;490:724-32. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.05.042. Epub 2014 Jun 4.
Sewage epidemiology has been proven as an effective approach to estimate the use of illicit drugs by a population. In this study, sewage analysis was applied to examine the patterns of amphetamine (AMP) and methamphetamine (METH) uses in the urban area of Beijing. Influent and effluent samples were collected from all the thirteen sewage treatment plants (STPs) in the urban area during two sampling campaigns. METH concentrations in influents were found to range from several tens to several hundred ng·L(-1), whereas AMP concentrations ranged from several to several tens ng·L(-1). The concentration ratios between AMP and METH in influents at most STPs were close to the rate of AMP excretion following METH ingestion, indicating that AMP in sewage in Beijing was predominately from the metabolism of METH. Much higher METH loads were observed in the center part of the urban area in Beijing, indicating a strong correlation between METH use and economic level and entertainment activities. Seasonal variation in METH loads was significant, with greater use in summer than in winter. Significant difference in METH loads between weekdays and weekend days were observed in winter but not in summer. No clear trend in diurnal variation of METH use was observed. Nearly complete removal of METH occurred at the STPS in Beijing. Apparent removal rates of AMP were lower than those of METH, likely due to degradation of METH into AMP during the wastewater treatment processes. In summary, this study represents the first application of sewage epidemiology to the entire urban population of a metropolitan in mainland China and provided an overview of METH and AMP uses in the city.
污水流行病学已被证明是一种估算人群中非法药物使用的有效方法。本研究应用污水分析方法，考察了北京市城区中安非他命（AMP）和甲基苯丙胺（METH）使用模式。在两次采样活动中，从城区的 13 座污水处理厂（STP）采集了进水和出水样本。进水 METH 浓度范围为几十到几百纳克/升，而 AMP 浓度范围为几到几十纳克/升。大多数 STP 的进水 AMP 和 METH 浓度比值接近摄入 METH 后 AMP 的排泄率，表明北京污水中的 AMP 主要来自 METH 的代谢。北京城区中心部位观察到的 METH 负荷更高，表明 METH 使用与经济水平和娱乐活动密切相关。METH 负荷的季节性变化显著，夏季使用量大于冬季。冬季观察到工作日和周末的 METH 负荷有显著差异，但夏季没有。METH 使用的昼夜变化没有明显趋势。北京的 STP 几乎完全去除了 METH。AMP 的去除率明显低于 METH，这可能是由于废水处理过程中 METH 降解成 AMP。总之，本研究首次将污水流行病学应用于中国大陆一个特大城市的全部城市人口，并概述了该市 METH 和 AMP 的使用情况。
