Multi-year interlaboratory exercises for the analysis of illicit drugs and metabolites in wastewater: development of a quality control system

Alexander L.N. van Nuijs, Foon Yin Lai, Frederic Been, Maria Jesus Andres-Costa, Leon Barron, Jose Antonio Baz-Lomba, Jean-Daniel Berset, Lisa Benaglia, Lubertus Bijlsma, Dan Burgard, Sara Castiglioni, Christophoros Christophoridis, Adrian Covaci, Pim de Voogt, Erik Emke, Despo Fatta-Kassinos, Jerker Fick, Felix Hernandez, Cobus Gerber, Iria González-MariñoRoman Grabic, Teemu Gunnar, Kurunthachalam Kannan, Sara Karolak, Barbara Kasprzyk-Hordern, Zenon Kokot, Ivona Krizman-Matasic, Angela Li, Xiqing Li, Arndís S.C. Löve, Miren Lopez de Alda, Markus R. Meyer, Herbert Oberacher, Jake O’Brien, Jose Benito Quintana, Malcolm Reid, Serge Schneider, Susana Sadler Simoes, Nikolaos S. Thomaidis, Kevin Thomas, Viviane Yargeau, Christoph Ort

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Abstract

This study presents the development of a worldwide inter-laboratory testing scheme for the analysis of seven illicit drug residues in different matrices (standard solutions, tap- and wastewater). By repeating this exercise for six years with participation of 37 laboratories from 25 countries, the testing scheme was substantially improved based on experiences gained across the years (e.g. matrix type, sample conditions, spiking levels). From the exercises (pre-)analytical issues (e.g. pH adjustment, filtration), were revealed for some analytes which resulted in formulation of best-practice protocols, both for inter-laboratory setup and analytical procedures. The results illustrate the effectiveness of the inter-laboratory testing scheme in assessing laboratory performance in the framework of illicit drug analysis in wastewater. The exercise proved that measurements of laboratories were of high quality (>80% satisfactory results for 6 out of 7 analytes) and that analytical follow-up is important to assist laboratories in improving robustness of wastewater-based epidemiology results.
Original languageEnglish
JournalTRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
Early online date22 Mar 2018
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 22 Mar 2018

Keywords

  • Illicit drugs
  • wastewater
  • inter-laboratory testing
  • wastewater-based epidemiology
  • quality assurance

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