Thomas Néfau1, Eloïse Charpentier2, Nora Elyasmino2, Catherine Duplessy-Garson3, Yves Levi2, Sara Karolak4. 1. Univ. Paris Sud/UMR CNRS 8079, Public Health & Environment Group, 5 rue Jean-Baptiste Clément, 92290 Châtenay-Malabry, France. Electronic address: thomasnefau@gmail.com. 2. Univ. Paris Sud/UMR CNRS 8079, Public Health & Environment Group, 5 rue Jean-Baptiste Clément, 92290 Châtenay-Malabry, France. 3. SAFE Association, 15 porte de La Plaine, 75015 Paris, France. Electronic address: catherine.duplessy@safe.asso.fr. 4. Univ. Paris Sud/UMR CNRS 8079, Public Health & Environment Group, 5 rue Jean-Baptiste Clément, 92290 Châtenay-Malabry, France. Electronic address: sara.karolak@u-psud.fr.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Since their inception, harm reduction services, including needle exchange programs, have aimed to improve and update knowledge about illicit drug consumption and injection practices in order to assess and regularly revise the effectiveness of preventive strategies. METHODS: In this paper we describe the development of a scientific approach to obtaining this type of information through analysis of the residual content of used syringes. This was done using a validated liquid chromatography method with mass spectrometry detection to identify different molecules. Used syringes were collected from automatic injection kit dispensers at 17 sites in Paris and the surrounding suburbs each month for one year. RESULTS: In total, 3489 syringes were collected. No compounds were detected in 245 syringes. Heroin was the most commonly observed compound (42%), followed by cocaine (41%), buprenorphine (29%) and 4-methylethylcathinone (23%). These analyses also showed the increased appearance of 4-methylethylcathinone between the summer and winter of 2012. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the bias involved in this approach, the method can provide rapid data on patterns of drug consumption for specific time periods and for well-defined locations. This kind of analysis enables the detection of new substances being injected and thus enables harm reduction services to revise and adapt prevention strategies.
BACKGROUND: Since their inception, harm reduction services, including needle exchange programs, have aimed to improve and update knowledge about illicit drug consumption and injection practices in order to assess and regularly revise the effectiveness of preventive strategies. METHODS: In this paper we describe the development of a scientific approach to obtaining this type of information through analysis of the residual content of used syringes. This was done using a validated liquid chromatography method with mass spectrometry detection to identify different molecules. Used syringes were collected from automatic injection kit dispensers at 17 sites in Paris and the surrounding suburbs each month for one year. RESULTS: In total, 3489 syringes were collected. No compounds were detected in 245 syringes. Heroin was the most commonly observed compound (42%), followed by cocaine (41%), buprenorphine (29%) and 4-methylethylcathinone (23%). These analyses also showed the increased appearance of 4-methylethylcathinone between the summer and winter of 2012. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the bias involved in this approach, the method can provide rapid data on patterns of drug consumption for specific time periods and for well-defined locations. This kind of analysis enables the detection of new substances being injected and thus enables harm reduction services to revise and adapt prevention strategies.
Authors: Henry West; John L Fitzgerald; Katherine L Hopkins; Michael G Leeming; Matthew DiRago; Dimitri Gerostamoulos; Nicolas Clark; Paul Dietze; Jonathan M White; James Ziogas; Gavin E Reid Journal: Drug Test Anal Date: 2022-05-23 Impact factor: 3.234