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Updated: Mar 17, 2026

High-throughput and Comprehensive Drug Surveillance Using Multisegment Injection-Capillary Electrophoresis-Mass Spectrometry
Published on: April 23, 2019
Using Monte Carlo simulation to assess uncertainty and variability of methamphetamine use and prevalence from
Wei Pei1, Qiu-Xia Zhan1, Zhi-Yu Yan1
1School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian Maritime University, 1 Linghai Road, Dalian, Liaoning 116023, China.
Background:
In recent years, methamphetamine (METH) has increased dramatically in China. However, little is known regarding the prevalence of METH use among the general population in China.
Methods:
We provided a method to estimate the consumption and prevalence of METH in a city based on wastewater analysis. Monte Carlo simulations were employed to assess the uncertainty and variability of the consumption and prevalence rate in Beijing.
Results:
METH consumption in Beijing based on Monte Carlo simulation varied between 1.3 and 5.2kg per day with a median of 2.6kg per day. In 2013, the 12-month prevalence of METH use was 0.58% (95% confidential interval 0.08-3.16) among the general population aged 15-64 years. A population-weight consumption map displayed the geographical differences in Beijing.
Conclusions:
The proposed method dramatically improved the accuracy and reliability and can be used as a useful complementary tool to official methodologies for drug use monitoring. This report describes the first comprehensive study concerning the prevalence of METH among the general population in mainland China.
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