Oral Presentation Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Australasia 2021

Could wastewater analysis be a useful tool for determining community usage of performance- and image-enhancing drugs (PIEDs)? (#34)

Katja Shimko 1 2 , Kevin Thomas 1 2 , Jake O'Brien 1 2 , Ben Tscharke 1 2 , Jochen Mueller 1 2 , Naomi Speers 3 , Catrin Goebel 4 , Lance Brooker 4
  1. The Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  2. The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  3. Sport Integrity Australia (SIA), Canberra, ACT, Australia
  4. Australian Sports Drug Testing Laboratory (ASDTL), National Measurement Institute (NMI), Sydney, NSW, Australia

Performance- and image-enhancing drugs (PIEDs) are used by athletes and non-athletes to improve athletic performance as well as physical appearance. Easy access to these chemicals for the general public, facilitated by online markets, enables misuse behaviour and has been deemed a concern to public health in peer reviewed literature. PIED prevalence is currently estimated through survey, seizure and anti-doping testing data. Surveys are limited by voluntary and honest participation as well as small sample size, and single point-in-time measurements do not truly capture use and prevalence. The extent of PIED use among wider populations is not fully understood.

Recently, wastewater analysis has emerged as a useful technique for monitoring consumption of chemicals at population level. For illicit drugs this is particularly useful as often these are consumed in a clandestine fashion. As such, wastewater analysis has been proposed to monitor the use of PIEDs. The suitability of wastewater analysis for PIEDs, however, has not yet been thoroughly investigated, as suitable chemical biomarkers need to meet a range of criteria. These criteria include excretion via urine, detectability and stability in wastewater influent and within the sewer, and uniqueness to human metabolism. This project aims to address this knowledge gap by evaluating a range of PIEDs against these criteria. The end goal is to use wastewater analysis to measure PIED prevalence among the general population.

Results to date include in-sewer stability assessment of 59 biomarkers, showing rapid degradation of glucuronides and partial sorption/desorption of analytes to the biofilm. Furthermore, preliminary data from in-sample stability studies indicate that, under certain conditions, many PIEDs are stable in preserved wastewater after collection, and when stored for an extended amount of time. Finally, biomarkers that are suitable for wastewater analysis will be further investigated to determine PIED prevalence with the potential for spatial and temporal comparisons.

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  2. Gracia-Lor, E., et al., Measuring biomarkers in wastewater as a new source of epidemiological information: Current state and future perspectives. Environ Int, 2017. 99: p. 131-150.
  3. Lovstakken, K., L. Peterson, and A.L. Homer, Risk factors for anabolic steroid use in college students and the role of expectancy. Addictive Behaviors, 1999. 24(3): p. 425-430.
  4. Sjöqvist, F., M. Garle, and A. Rane, Use of doping agents, particularly anabolic steroids, in sports and society. The Lancet, 2008. 371(9627): p. 1872-1882.