The availability of licit and illicit stimulants and its adverse consequences on public health has emerged as a major drug threat to communities in the United States. In this <i>National Institute of Justice-</i>funded study, the amount of several discharged drugs focusing on stimulants but also including opioids and prescription antipsychotics are being measured in raw wastewater collected from five rest areas and a truck servicing facility using a mass spectrometry technique. Three stimulants (cocaine, methamphetamine, and amphetamine), two opioids (hydrocodone and tramadol), THC metabolite, and four antidepressants (venlafaxine, citalopram, fluoxetine, and sertraline) were detected in all of the collected wastewater samples in the early phases of the project. Methamphetamine was the most prevalent stimulant (40.0-1240 mg/d) followed by the cocaine metabolite (9.18-385 mg/d) and amphetamine (14.9-97.9 mg/d). The rest area users normalized methamphetamine discharge at the Christian County rest area (I-24E) was 1.8 fold higher than in the Whitehaven rest area (I-24W) and 7.8 fold higher than in the Laurel County truck service facility (I-75). The significantly higher ratio of cocaine and its metabolite (&gt;1.0) found in the Whitehaven rest area suggested the possibility of a direct discharge of cocaine in two select days in October. Based on a daily average six bathroom uses and a single typical dose of drug use, there were 26 doses of cocaine, 129 doses of methamphetamine, and 323 doses of fentanyl daily per 1000 rest area users. This report represents the first comprehensive and quantitative report of drugs discharged at the rest areas along the interstate highways.

Wastewater-based estimation of substances discharged at the rest areas and truck servicing facility along the interstate highways in kentucky

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ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.