Direct injection liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry as a sensitive and high-throughput method for the quantitative surveillance of antimicrobials in wastewater.

Environmental antimicrobial pollution and antimicrobial resistance pose a threat to environmental and human health. Wastewater analysis has been identified as a promising tool for antimicrobial monitoring and the back-estimation of antimicrobial consumption, but current pretreatment methods are tedious and complicated, limiting their scope for high-throughput analysis. A sensitive direct injection method for the quantification of 109 antimicrobials and their metabolites in wastewater samples was developed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

Quantification of new psychoactive substances in Australian wastewater utilising direct injection liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry.

The dynamic new psychoactive substances (NPS) market presents a great challenge for public health officers, law enforcement and analytical and forensic chemists. Wastewater analysis is a complementary tool in the ongoing surveillance of these compounds but the low doses, somewhat unknown metabolism and the different chemical classes have made analytical methods difficult to develop. The current study presents a direct injection method for the quantification of 32 NPS.

In-Sewer Stability Assessment of Anabolic Steroids and Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators.

Wastewater-based epidemiology is a potential complementary technique for monitoring the use of performance- and image-enhancing drugs (PIEDs), such as anabolic steroids and selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs), within the general population. Assessing in-sewer transformation and degradation is critical for understanding uncertainties associated with wastewater analysis. An electrospray ionization liquid chromatography mass spectrometry method for the quantification of 59 anabolic agents in wastewater influent was developed.

Performance- and image-enhancing drug use in the community: use prevalence, user demographics and the potential role of wastewater-based epidemiology.

Performance- and image-enhancing drug (PIED) misuse is a significant public health issue. Currently, seizure data, surveys, anti-doping testing, and needle service provider data are used to estimate PIED use in populations. These methods are time consuming, single point-in-time measurements that often consist of small sample sizes and do not truly capture PIED prevalence.

Systematic Evaluation of the In-Sample Stability of Selected Pharmaceuticals, Illicit Drugs, and Their Metabolites in Wastewater.

The in-sample stability of selected pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs, and their metabolites in wastewater was assessed under six different conditions-untreated, addition of hydrochloric acid or sodium metabisulfite solution, combined with or without sterile filtration, and at four representative temperatures, at 35 °C for up to 28 days, 22 °C for 56 days, and 4 °C and -20 °C for 196 days, or freeze/thaw cycles for 24 weeks. Paracetamol, 6-monoacetylmorphine, morphine, and cocaine were poorly stable in untreated wastewater-e.g.

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in commercial passenger aircraft and cruise ship wastewater: a surveillance tool for assessing the presence of COVID-19 infected travellers.

Background: Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can be an important source of information for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) management during and after the pandemic. Currently, governments and transportation industries around the world are developing strategies to minimize SARS-CoV-2 transmission associated with resuming activity. This study investigated the possible use of SARS-CoV-2 RNA wastewater surveillance from airline and cruise ship sanitation systems and its potential use as a COVID-19 public health management tool.

Determination of anabasine, anatabine, and nicotine biomarkers in wastewater by enhanced direct injection LC-MS/MS and evaluation of their in-sewer stability.

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been used to estimate tobacco use in the population. However, the increased use of nicotine replacement therapies and e-cigarettes contributes to the load of nicotine metabolites in wastewater, causing over-estimation of tobacco use if nicotine metabolites were used in WBE back-estimation. This study aims to develop a rapid method for determining the tobacco-specific biomarkers, anabasine and anatabine, in wastewater and to evaluate their in-sewer stability for better estimation of tobacco use by WBE.

A pilot wastewater-based epidemiology assessment of anabolic steroid use in Queensland, Australia.

Anabolic-androgenic steroids are synthetic compounds prohibited due to their performance-enhancing characteristics. The use of these substances is known to cause health-related issues, which highlights the importance of being able to evaluate the scale of consumption by the general population. However, most available research on the analysis of anabolic steroids is focused on animals and athletes in connection with doping.