Muñiz-Bustamante L, Caballero-Casero N, Rubio S. Drugs of abuse in tap water from eight European countries: Determination by use of supramolecular solvents and tentative evaluation of risks to human health. Environ Int. 2022 Jun;164:107281. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107281. Epub 2022 May 6. PMID: 35561596.
Highlights
- Recent research findings have confirmed the presence of illicit drugs in tap water from some European Union (UE) member states.
- Contaminants in tap water come directly from drinking water sources such as rivers or lakes owing to inefficient removal at wastewater treatment and water purification plants.
- This study assessed the health risks of exposure to twelve drugs of abuse through consumption of tap water in the European population.
- A total of 119 tap water samples were collected from eight EU countries for analysis.
- Seven drugs were found at concentrations from 0.3 to 340 ng/L in 72 of the samples (60.5%).
- The mean exposure to the drugs through consumption of tap water was calculated to be 0.0064-3.531 ng/kg·day for adults and 0.0247-6.7580 ng/kg·day for children.
- Exposure values were compared with the minimum required performance levels (MRPL) for the drugs in urine set by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Based on the results, a need clearly exists for further research into the adverse effects on health of inadvertent, sustained exposure to low doses of drugs of abuse.
