Illegal Substance Analysis and Environmental Risk Assessment in Küçük Menderes River, Important Basin of the Aegean Region

• Published in: Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology 2024-11, Vol.113 (5), p.56-56, Article 56
• Main Authors: Ovat, Duygu Yeşim, Aslan, Rukiye, Aydoğdu, Melike, Akgür, Serap Annette
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: amphetamine; Amphetamines; Aquatic organisms; Aquatic Pollution; basins; bulls; Carboxylic acids; Cocaine; Cocaine - analogs & derivatives; Cocaine - analysis; Codeine; Codeine - analysis; Dronabinol - analogs & derivatives; Dronabinol - analysis; Drug abuse; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Ecstasy; Environment; Environmental assessment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental risk; Illicit Drugs - analysis; Methamphetamine; Morphine; Narcotics; Pollutants; Pollution; Psychotropic drugs; risk; Risk Assessment; Rivers; Rivers - chemistry; Sampling; Soil Science & Conservation; Substance abuse treatment; Surface water; Tetrahydrocannabinol; THC; Toxicology; Turkey; Waste Water Technology; wastewater; Water Management; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollution Control; Water treatment
• ISSN: 0007-4861; 1432-0800; 1432-0800
• DOI: 10.1007/s00128-024-03961-3

Water-based studies have come into prominence for illegal substance monitoring. There are limited studies on the detection of these substances in the surface waters as opposed to wastewater. This study aims to evaluate amphetamine, benzoylecgonine, cocaine, codeine, 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine, morphine, and 11-nor-Δ9- tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid in the Küçük Menderes (KM) River at four different stations during three different periods and assess the environmental risks. Environmental risk assessment of psychoactive substances based on the calculation of Risk Quotients (RQ) were evaluated. RQ values for amphetamine and benzoylecgonine were  1) based on its RQ values of 1.22 and 1.37 at KM-01 and KM-02 sampling points. This research is the first report to investigate the presence of psychoactive substances and define the environmental risks of these substances in Türkiye.