College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, No. 1 Linghai Road, Dalian, China.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2021 Apr;28(13):16754-16766. doi: 10.1007/s11356-020-12035-w. Epub 2021 Jan 4.
Illicit drug use has long been a key issue of international concern, and the true situation is unknown to the relevant authorities. To develop a profile of comprehensive consumption patterns of illicit drugs in China, data from 34 wastewater treatment plants in 25 cities were collected to analyze four classes of drugs, including amphetamine-type stimulants, opioids, ketamine, and cocaine. They were identified and quantified in samples using methods based on gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. According to the wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) approach, an analysis of the consumption pattern was performed regarding per inhabitant consumption based on the revised metabolic rate. The consumption quantity of illicit drug and precursor was divided into four categories based on statistical difference analyses: methamphetamine and ephedrine (precursor) were the predominant drugs in the first category, followed by ketamine and heroin in the second category, methcathinone and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in the third category, and cocaine and methadone in the fourth category. There were distinctive spatial patterns: heroin and cocaine consumption was higher in Southern China than in Northern China, heroin consumption was higher in Western China than in Eastern China, and the consumption of each drug differed across seven regions of China, especially with ephedrine and methcathinone consumption higher in North China; heroin consumption higher in Southwest, Central, and Northwest China; and ketamine and MDMA consumption higher in East, South, and Central China. Compared with findings in previous studies, there were temporal patterns, in which ketamine consumption presented a downward trend but heroin remained stable. Based on correlation analyses, there were the polydrug abuse patterns between heroin and cocaine, methcathinone and ketamine, and cocaine and MDMA. In general, this study based on WBE provides a comprehensive evaluation of drug consumption in China.
非法药物使用一直是国际关注的一个关键问题，相关当局并不了解真实情况。为了了解中国非法药物综合消费模式的情况，从中国 25 个城市的 34 个污水处理厂收集了数据，以分析包括苯丙胺类兴奋剂、阿片类药物、氯胺酮和可卡因在内的四类药物。使用基于气相色谱-质谱联用的方法对样品进行了鉴定和定量分析。根据基于污水的流行病学（WBE）方法，根据修订后的代谢率，基于每个居民的消耗量对消费模式进行了分析。根据统计差异分析，将非法药物和前体的消耗量分为四类：第一类以甲基苯丙胺和麻黄碱（前体）为主，第二类以氯胺酮和海洛因为主，第三类以甲卡西酮和 3,4-亚甲二氧基甲基苯丙胺（MDMA）为主，第四类以可卡因和美沙酮为主。存在明显的空间模式：华南地区的海洛因和可卡因消费高于北方，西部地区的海洛因消费高于东部，中国七个地区的每种药物的消费情况都不同，特别是华北地区的麻黄碱和甲卡西酮消费较高；西南、中部和西北地区的海洛因消费较高；华东、华南和中部地区的氯胺酮和 MDMA 消费较高。与之前的研究结果相比，存在时间模式，其中氯胺酮消费呈下降趋势，但海洛因保持稳定。基于相关分析，存在海洛因和可卡因、甲卡西酮和氯胺酮以及可卡因和 MDMA 之间的多药物滥用模式。总的来说，这项基于 WBE 的研究提供了对中国药物消费的全面评估。
