You might not expect your toilet to be a source of global drug surveillance, but that’s exactly what scientists are tapping into—literally.
A research team led by the University of Queensland has been analyzing wastewater from 47 cities around the world, and the findings are eye-opening. Over three New Year’s periods, from 2019 to 2022, they found 18 new psychoactive substances—some of which hadn’t been detected before in those regions.
New Drugs, New Challenges
These aren’t your typical drugs. They’re new psychoactive substances (NPS)—lab-made drugs designed to mimic the effects of illegal substances like MDMA or cocaine, while skirting drug laws by slightly tweaking their chemical structure. It’s a cat-and-mouse game between drug makers and regulators.
According to Dr. Richard Bade, who led the study at UQ’s Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, seven of these newly found drugs turned up in Australia, including ones like mephedrone, ethylone, and eutylone. These drugs create similar highs to more familiar names like MDMA but are harder to track and control.
Over in Europe, a different group of new drugs is popping up, especially 3-methylmethcathinone, which saw a spike in places like Spain and Slovenia.
So, How Do They Know?
Wastewater testing may sound odd, but it’s actually a smart and ethical way to see what substances are being used in a community. Scientists collect samples from sewage systems, analyze them in the lab, and identify chemical traces of drug use—kind of like a giant city-wide urine test.
Between 2019 and 2022, samples were taken from cities in Europe, North and South America, Asia, Oceania, and New Zealand, then shipped to Australia for analysis.
Interestingly, the 2020 New Year’s period showed a dip in drug traces—likely due to global lockdowns and fewer big celebrations during the height of the pandemic.
Why It Matters
These new substances are concerning because we know very little about their long-term effects. They’re often made in small batches, making them harder to track and regulate.
Dr. Bade is calling for a global campaign to monitor and educate about these substances. He believes annual wastewater analysis could be a powerful, cost-effective way for health organizations to stay on top of trends and deliver targeted education before problems spread.
So next time you flush, remember: your city’s sewage might just be helping to tackle a global drug challenge.
Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589914723000154
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