Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Senior
Major
Chemistry
Minor
Biology
2nd Student Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Junior
2nd Student Major
Biomedical Science
2nd Student Minor
Chemistry
List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Bikram Subedi
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
Conventional survey-based approaches of determining the consumption statistics of drugs in communities are suffered from non-response biases, and typically underestimate the actual consumption. Time and cost-intensive conventional approaches, therefore, can’t be utilized to determine high-resolution temporal variability in drug consumption. In this study, the temporal trend of consumption of 10 illicit and 26 prescribed neuropsychiatric drugs was determined at hour-level resolution utilizing wastewater-based epidemiology. The hourly composite raw wastewater (every 10 minutes) samples were collected for three consecutive days in a typical week (total of 72 samples), analyzed for target drug residues using UPLC-MS/MS, and back-calculated the consumption rate of drugs in a community. Typical 24 h-composite samples and grab samples were also analyzed and compared to the hourly composite samples. Time-sensitive consumption pattern of drugs can be critical information for authorities to combat drug abuse and addiction.
Spring Scholars Week 2019 Event
Sigma Xi Poster Competition (Juried)
Included in
Analytical Chemistry Commons, Environmental Health and Protection Commons, Environmental Monitoring Commons, Environmental Public Health Commons
Hour-level Resolution on Consumption Pattern of Substance Abuse
Conventional survey-based approaches of determining the consumption statistics of drugs in communities are suffered from non-response biases, and typically underestimate the actual consumption. Time and cost-intensive conventional approaches, therefore, can’t be utilized to determine high-resolution temporal variability in drug consumption. In this study, the temporal trend of consumption of 10 illicit and 26 prescribed neuropsychiatric drugs was determined at hour-level resolution utilizing wastewater-based epidemiology. The hourly composite raw wastewater (every 10 minutes) samples were collected for three consecutive days in a typical week (total of 72 samples), analyzed for target drug residues using UPLC-MS/MS, and back-calculated the consumption rate of drugs in a community. Typical 24 h-composite samples and grab samples were also analyzed and compared to the hourly composite samples. Time-sensitive consumption pattern of drugs can be critical information for authorities to combat drug abuse and addiction.