Abstract
Objective: Detection of 2 types of illicit drugs (ID) and their main metabolites in wastewater samples were collected from five wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Methods: As a class of pollutants of emerging concern, IDs should be considered due to their social and public health risks. In this study, samples were collected in WWTPs for per capita evaluation of IDs by wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) method. Results: The maximum concentrations were determined for benzoylecgonine (BE) (1487±89ng/L) and 11-nor-Δ9-hydroxytetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) (788±27ng/L). In relation to the estimated consumption data, it was obtained that the substance most consumed per 1,000 inhabitants (between 15 and 65 years old) was Δ9-tetrahidrocannabinol (THC) (fundamental compound of marijuana), with a value of 1743.4-12422.5 mg/day, followed by cocaine, with a value of 987.5-1641.3 mg/day. Conclusion: The use of illicit drugs contributes substantially to the global burden of disease, morbidity and organized crime. The application of the analytical method for the detection of ID will provide new health monitoring strategies through the early detection of these compounds in WWTPs and, fundamentally, the formulation of specific public policies in accordance with the findings.