Determination of 21 synthetic cathinones, phenethylamines, amphetamines and opioids in influent wastewater using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry
Abstract
Human consumption of illicit novel psychoactive substances (NPS) is a continuing problem. New derivatives are constantly appearing, circumventing national and international laws. The use of these compounds tend to be sporadic and many are consumed as mixtures, meaning very low amounts of each are detectable at any one time. The analysis of excreted NPS in wastewater provides information on community prevalence. A wastewater-based epidemiology approach has been applied in the current study for the quantification of 21 NPS. These include three phenethylamines (25B-NBOMe, 25C-NBOMe, 25I-NBOMe), ten synthetic cathinones (3-ethylmethcathinone (3-EMC), 3-methylbuphedrone, 3-methylmethcathinone (3-MMC), 4-fluoromethcathinone (4-FMC), 4-methylbuphedrone, 4-methylethcathinone (4-MEC), buphedrone, butylone, N-ethylpentylone and pentylone), five synthetic opioid analgesics (AH-7921, butyryl fentanyl, furanyl fentanyl, U-47700 and valeryl fentanyl) as well as the synthetic amphetamine 4-fluoroamphemtaine (4-FA), ketamine analogue methoxetamine and methiopropamine. Limits of detection were between 0.01 and 0.5 ng/L and limits of quantification were between 0.05 and 1 ng/L. The method was applied to wastewater samples from South Australia collected over the Christmas-New Year period when recreational drug use tends to be high. Seven NPS (butylone, butyryl fentanyl, furanyl fentanyl, methoxetamine, N-ethylpentylone, pentylone and valeryl fentanyl) were found, with N-ethylpentylone showing the highest mass loads at 36 mg/day/1000 inhabitants.
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Samples were processed using a previously validated solid-phase extraction (SPE) method.
“Samples were processed using a previously validated solid‐phase extraction (SPE) method, using UCT XtracT DAU cartridges (UCT, Bristol, PA) [23].”
From Early identification of the use of potent benzylbenzimidazoles (nitazenes) through wastewater analysis: Two years of data from 22 countries (2025) · cites this paper as [23]
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- Authors
- Bade, R., Abdelaziz, A., Nguyen, L., Pandopulos, A. J., White, J. M., & Gerber, C.
- Affiliations
- University of South Australia (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Gerber, Cobus
- Venue
- Talanta
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2020-02
- Volume
- 208
- Pages
- 120479
- ISSN
- 0039-9140 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2981057097
- Cited by
- 86
- References
- 20
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 10
- FWCI
- 5.94
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Talanta (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Adelaide Research & Scholarship (AR&S) (University of Adelaide) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Drug and Alcohol Services of South Australia
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Toxicology › Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
- Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Analytical Chemistry › Analytical Methods in Pharmaceuticals
- Keywords
- new psychoactive substances, synthetic cathinones, phenethylamines, synthetic opioids, amphetamine, wastewater-based epidemiology, influent wastewater, 25I-NBOMe, butylone, methoxetamine, mass loading
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