TY - CONF

T1 - Stereoselective separation of MDMA enantiomers in sewage water

AU - Emke, Erik

AU - Evans, Sian

AU - Kasprzyk-Hordern, Barbara

AU - de Voogt, Pim

PY - 2013

Y1 - 2013

N2 - In 2011 a European campaign was executed to estimate the daily loads of drugs of abuse into sewage treatment plants (STP) of 19 European cities. During one week every day a representative 24h composite sample of the influents was taken. For one particular case, the city of Utrecht, an abnormally high load of MDMA was encountered. The levels of MDMA found did not correspond with those observed in the previous year 2010. The samples were measured by HPLC-LTQOrbitrap- MS, and calculated loads varied from 350 g per d for the first day to 75 g/d for day seven. Compared to the preceding year the levels were 35x higher on average. The results raised suspicions about the origin of these loads. The Netherlands and Belgium are known for being the major producers of MDMA in the world, according to information of the EMCDDA. After viewing police reports on the internet it became clear that a possible cause for the abnormally high levels could be a police raid into a private home two days before the sampling started. The location raided appeared to be equipped for producing MDMA tablets, but only additives, empty tablet bags and a few tablets were found. MDMA is produced as a racemate. When swallowed, it is transformed during passage through the human body. However, the rates of transformation of the two enantiomers of MDMA are different in the human body. The S-enantiomer is transformed at a slightly higher rate than the R-enantiomer, resulting in a shift in the enantiomer fraction from racemic (0.5) to =0.65. The enantiomer fractions for all samples from the campaigns in 2010 and 2011 were measured using chiral chromatography on CBH columns and triple-quadrupole MS detection. The results showed that the samples from 2011 invariably had enantiomer ratios fractions close to 0.5, demonstrating that the observed MDMA in these samples is racemic and therefore could not be subjected to human metabolism. It can be therefore concluded that MDMA originated from direct disposal into the sewer. The total amount of MDMA that was disposed in the sewage system was assumed to be 30 kg equivalent to approximately 500,000 tablets. As MDMA is not removed at all in the STP plant of Utrecht the amount discharged is directly transferred to the environment. The implications of these direct discharges for ecosystem health remain largely unknown. The present study demonstrates the potential of sewage analysis by LC-MS methods and that of chiral separations for forensic purposes.

AB - In 2011 a European campaign was executed to estimate the daily loads of drugs of abuse into sewage treatment plants (STP) of 19 European cities. During one week every day a representative 24h composite sample of the influents was taken. For one particular case, the city of Utrecht, an abnormally high load of MDMA was encountered. The levels of MDMA found did not correspond with those observed in the previous year 2010. The samples were measured by HPLC-LTQOrbitrap- MS, and calculated loads varied from 350 g per d for the first day to 75 g/d for day seven. Compared to the preceding year the levels were 35x higher on average. The results raised suspicions about the origin of these loads. The Netherlands and Belgium are known for being the major producers of MDMA in the world, according to information of the EMCDDA. After viewing police reports on the internet it became clear that a possible cause for the abnormally high levels could be a police raid into a private home two days before the sampling started. The location raided appeared to be equipped for producing MDMA tablets, but only additives, empty tablet bags and a few tablets were found. MDMA is produced as a racemate. When swallowed, it is transformed during passage through the human body. However, the rates of transformation of the two enantiomers of MDMA are different in the human body. The S-enantiomer is transformed at a slightly higher rate than the R-enantiomer, resulting in a shift in the enantiomer fraction from racemic (0.5) to =0.65. The enantiomer fractions for all samples from the campaigns in 2010 and 2011 were measured using chiral chromatography on CBH columns and triple-quadrupole MS detection. The results showed that the samples from 2011 invariably had enantiomer ratios fractions close to 0.5, demonstrating that the observed MDMA in these samples is racemic and therefore could not be subjected to human metabolism. It can be therefore concluded that MDMA originated from direct disposal into the sewer. The total amount of MDMA that was disposed in the sewage system was assumed to be 30 kg equivalent to approximately 500,000 tablets. As MDMA is not removed at all in the STP plant of Utrecht the amount discharged is directly transferred to the environment. The implications of these direct discharges for ecosystem health remain largely unknown. The present study demonstrates the potential of sewage analysis by LC-MS methods and that of chiral separations for forensic purposes.

UR - http://meetings.setac.org/

UR - http://glasgow.setac.eu/

M3 - Abstract

T2 - 23rd Annual Meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC Europe)

Y2 - 12 May 2013 through 16 May 2013

ER -