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 b0red5tiff
THE CANDY KING
Registered: 09/16/06
Posts: 7,019
Loc: \m/
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 Scientists in Spain Develop New Methods for Monitoring Drug Abuse by Analyzing Wastewater
#8405255 - 05/15/08 01:01 PM (3 months, 19 days ago) |
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Scientists at the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) in Barcelona have developed a new method for monitoring the consumption of drugs of abuse in the general population. This method, which was developed using analytical laboratory technology from Applied Biosystems/MDS Analytical Technologies, can measure the levels of substances such as cocaine, amphetamines and cannabis in water from sewage treatment plants to estimate the amounts of various illegal drugs being consumed within specific regions of the country. The method provides a fully automated, faster and more specific way for estimating drug abuse than has previously been possible, and was published in the May 2008 issue of the scientific journal Analytical Chemistry1.
Traditional methods for estimating drug abuse in the population can be costly and inaccurate, relying on surveys and on social, medical, and criminal statistics. In contrast, this new method uses mass spectrometry, a laboratory technique, to test water from sewage treatment plants and provide accurate, real-time data extremely quickly and without invading the privacy of members of the public. The method’s increased speed and efficiency also reduces labor and administrative costs. The use of mass spectrometry-based methods to determine drugs of abuse in sewage and surface waters was developed a few years ago, and this latest development is the first fully automated technique for detecting and measuring multiple compounds simultaneously, offering improved analytical performance and reliability.
This enabled the CSIC scientists in Barcelona to investigate sewage water samples from regions of Barcelona and Valencia for the presence of 19 different compounds simultaneously. The compounds were from five different classes of drugs: cocaine and related substances, amphetamine-like drugs including ecstasy (MDMA), opiates including heroin and morphine, cannabinoids, and LSD and related products. Eight of these compounds, including heroin and LSD products, had not previously been analyzed in water samples.
The scientific team reported that cocainics were found in the highest quantities, followed by amphetamine-like compounds, opiates, cannabinoids, and LSD and metabolites. Samples from Barcelona showed higher levels of cocainics and morphine, and lower levels of cannabinoids, when compared with drug levels in samples from Valencia. The presence of morphine may be due at least in part to its use as a strong analgesic for medicinal purposes. The levels of cocainics and amphetamine-like compounds reported in this study were generally higher than those reported in previous studies.
“The new method offers considerable cost and time savings to water analysis laboratories, and will assist the authorities in monitoring drug abuse on a regional basis,” said Damiŕ Barceló, full research professor and head of the CSIC department of environmental chemistry, in Barcelona. “The Applied Biosystems/MDS Analytical Technologies mass spectrometry technology is essential to the process because it can work with much smaller sample volumes than other available systems require.”
The investigations were conducted using a 4000 QTRAP® LC/MS/MS System from Applied Biosystems/MDS Analytical Technologies to analyze the water samples. The 4000 QTRAP System is a premier hybrid triple quadrupole/linear ion trap mass spectrometer that can identify, characterize and quantitate metabolites with high mass accuracy and resolution. It offers unmatched quantitative and qualitative performance within a single system, making compound identification faster and easier, and providing researchers with confidence in their results.
The 4000 QTRAP System was an essential technology for enabling the new method because of unique features that include its ability to work with much smaller sample volumes than previously established methods, which allows easy storage and freezing of the samples. This not only halts any biological activity within the samples that might affect the analysis, but also avoids the risk of contamination or alteration of the sample that could be caused by addition of preservatives. Until now, small sample volumes were not used because they risked compromising the method sensitivity; however, the detection capabilities of the 4000 QTRAP System overcome this issue. This system allows the simultaneous analysis of multiple compounds in a single run and at very low detection limits, in the low nanograms or picograms per liter range after sample preconcentration of 5 ml.
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***if you're reading this then you're already asleep***
***if we're gonna kill each other how are we gonna live forever? if we're gonna live forever how are we gonna kill each other?***
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shinyturquoise
Registered: 05/10/07
Posts: 14
Last seen: 25 days, 7 hours
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Re: Scientists in Spain Develop New Methods for Monitoring Drug Abuse by Analyzing Wastewater [Re: b0red5tiff]
#8405347 - 05/15/08 01:22 PM (3 months, 19 days ago) |
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now that's pretty cool...
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Visionary Tools
Kiffah
Registered: 06/23/07
Posts: 2,933
Last seen: 23 days, 11 hours
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Re: Scientists in Spain Develop New Methods for Monitoring Drug Abuse by Analyzing Wastewater [Re: shinyturquoise]
#8405756 - 05/15/08 03:27 PM (3 months, 19 days ago) |
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Ain't nothing cool about big brother.
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In times of universal deceit, the truth becomes a revolutionary act.
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TrippyMcTripTrip
your mom...onacid
Registered: 04/26/07
Posts: 4
Loc: your mom
Last seen: 3 months, 17 hours
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Re: Scientists in Spain Develop New Methods for Monitoring Drug Abuse by Analyzing Wastewater [Re: Visionary Tools]
#8406003 - 05/15/08 04:39 PM (3 months, 19 days ago) |
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fuckin scary is what it is.
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Compass
Ancient Light
Registered: 10/17/06
Posts: 827
Loc: The Border of Reality
Last seen: 1 day, 4 hours
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Re: Scientists in Spain Develop New Methods for Monitoring Drug Abuse by Analyzing Wastewater [Re: b0red5tiff]
#8406460 - 05/15/08 06:50 PM (3 months, 19 days ago) |
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another benefit to tree bogs
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pabloescabar
Stranger thanyou
Registered: 05/02/07
Posts: 383
Last seen: 8 hours, 23 minutes
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Re: Scientists in Spain Develop New Methods for Monitoring Drug Abuse by Analyzing Wastewater [Re: Compass]
#8407948 - 05/16/08 12:48 AM (3 months, 19 days ago) |
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OMFG I can't believe the shit they will do in the war on drugs.
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Coaster
ChemicalResearcher
Registered: 05/22/06
Posts: 11,283
Loc: La La Land
Last seen: 3 hours, 59 minutes
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Re: Scientists in Spain Develop New Methods for Monitoring Drug Abuse by Analyzing Wastewater [Re: pabloescabar]
#8407989 - 05/16/08 01:04 AM (3 months, 19 days ago) |
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this is old news
they have alrdy done this in america i remeber hearing that like some cities have more meth n shit in their water
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 badchad
Stranger
Registered: 03/02/05
Posts: 2,479
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Re: Scientists in Spain Develop New Methods for Monitoring Drug Abuse by Analyzing Wastewater [Re: Coaster]
#8408501 - 05/16/08 07:37 AM (3 months, 18 days ago) |
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A non-invasive, objective way to estimate drug use. They could find some interesting things with this.
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Cow Shit
Stranger
Registered: 06/29/07
Posts: 141
Loc: SE Texas
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Re: Scientists in Spain Develop New Methods for Monitoring Drug Abuse by Analyzing Wastewater [Re: badchad]
#8409727 - 05/16/08 02:27 PM (3 months, 18 days ago) |
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Quote:
badchad said:
They could find some interesting things with this.
Like drugs are still prevalent despite thier illegality?
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"Think for yourself and question authority."
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badchad
Stranger
Registered: 03/02/05
Posts: 2,479
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Re: Scientists in Spain Develop New Methods for Monitoring Drug Abuse by Analyzing Wastewater [Re: Cow Shit]
#8410286 - 05/16/08 05:14 PM (3 months, 18 days ago) |
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You could do a lot more than that. If these were an accurate and efficient of determining the drug use of a large population of people you do do a lot of things.
You could compare use between areas. See how drug use affected crime rates, determine how laws affected drug use. You could see what types of drugs people were using, how drug use affected education levels, all sorts of disease, accidents etc, etc, etc,.
You could get a much better grasp on the affects of drug use and start to ask questions like "why" and "how" drug use may or may not affect different aspects of life.
THe method is non-invasive and certainly doesn't identify individuals. It'll be interesting to see what it yields.
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Adamist
Hiptilian Being
Registered: 11/23/01
Posts: 4,782
Loc: Grand Canyon
Last seen: 10 hours, 6 minutes
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Re: Scientists in Spain Develop New Methods for Monitoring Drug Abuse by Analyzing Wastewater [Re: badchad]
#8414388 - 05/17/08 08:35 PM (3 months, 17 days ago) |
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Not shocked that cocaine was found in the highest concentrations. Cocaine seems to be making a big comeback as the party drug of choice, and not just in America. Kind of sad.. I miss the days when Ecstasy ruled the scene.
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There is nothing independent. All beings and things are residents in your awareness.
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