Evaluation of principal cannabinoids in airborne particulates.

The determination of delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta9-THC), cannabidiol (CND) and cannabinol (CNB), primary active components in cannabis preparation, was carried out on airborne particulates by applying a specific procedure consisting of soot extraction by ultrasonic bath, purification by solvent partitioning, derivatization with N-(t-butyldimethylsilyl)-N-methyl-trifluoroacetamide, and separation/detection through gas chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The optimized procedure was found suitable for measuring the three psychotropic substances at concentrations ranging from ca. 0.

Ambient air quality and drug aftermaths of the Notte Bianca (White Night) holidays in Rome.

The environmental impact of Notte Bianca (White Night) holidays held during September 2007 in Rome, Italy, was investigated by measuring aerial concentrations of several genotoxic, psychotropic or source-dependent organic pollutants. Chemical characterization of airborne particulates collected concurrently at Montelibretti RM (semi-rural locality lying approximately 30 km NE of Rome centre) was used as a reference. n-Alkanes, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and nitrogen/oxygen-containing polyaromatic compounds (PAC) did not seem to undergo important enhancements during the holiday celebration, whilst recreational drugs peaked downtown (87 vs 41 pg m(-3), on the average, of cocaine, and 5.

Occurrence of cocaine in the air of the World's cities. An emerging problem? A new tool to investigate the social incidence of drugs?

The occurrence of illicit substances in the air was investigated in various world locations and ambient conditions. The analytical procedure optimized for cocaine, methadone and cocaethylene, based upon soxhlet extraction with organic solvent, clean-up through column chromatography, gas chromatographic separation and mass spectrometric detection, allowed the detection of the three compounds at levels as low as approximately 1 pg m(-3) in air samples of approximately 500 m3. Apart from Algiers, Algeria, and Pancevo, Serbia, cocaine was found in all cities investigated and its concentration ranged from picograms to nanograms/cubic meter (e.