Precision traceability of trace psychoactive substances under water quality parameter perturbations in a complex
Zheng-Jie Han1, Meng-Yue Fang1, Yan Zhang2
1College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China. dahaizhang@ouc.edu.cn.
Analytical Methods : Advancing Methods and Applications
|March 23, 2026
Summary
Wastewater drug testing has high uncertainty due to compound degradation. New models linking psychoactive substance (PS) levels to water quality parameters significantly improve accuracy, offering better insights into drug abuse patterns.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Chemistry
- Analytical Chemistry
- Forensic Toxicology
Background:
- Wastewater-based drug testing using LC-MS/MS monitors psychoactive substances (PSs).
- Conventional methods face significant measurement deviations (67.37%–98.15%) due to compound degradation and transport in sewer systems.
- Existing assessment approaches exhibit considerable uncertainty in estimating initial PS concentrations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate psychoactive substance (PS) degradation patterns during wastewater conveyance.
- To optimize existing wastewater-based drug testing assessment methods.
- To develop more accurate models for estimating PS concentrations in wastewater.
Main Methods:
- Conducted laboratory simulations of the entire wastewater conveyance process.
- Investigated PS degradation under aerobic, anaerobic, and facultative conditions.
- Developed multivariate linear regression models linking PS concentrations to water quality parameters (COD, TN, NH3-N).
Main Results:
- Removal efficiencies of most target PS compounds increased over time under various conditions.
- Multivariate linear regression models achieved high correlation (R = 0.66–0.96) with water quality parameters.
- Estimated PS concentrations showed substantially lower deviations (12.98%–29.85%) compared to direct measurements.
Conclusions:
- The developed regression models provide a more accurate assessment of PS abuse than conventional methods.
- Water quality parameters are significant predictors of PS degradation in sewage systems.
- Further research is needed to incorporate additional factors for more comprehensive multi-substance estimation models.
