A relatively stable mean monthly alcohol consumption in the capital area, of Cyprus with daily consumption ranging from 0.31 to 10.60 mL/day/inh.
This was revealed in the first wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) study for alcohol monitoring in Cyprus conducted by scientists from Nireas-International Water Research Centre, University of Cyprus, Paralimni and Agia Napa Sewage Treatment Plant and Cyprus National Addictions Authority.
In the coastal area, significant variations in alcohol consumption were observed, with tourist activity during the summer months being associated with nearly a tenfold increase in alcohol use compared to the winter months.
The first wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) study for alcohol monitoring in Cyprus reveals important temporal and spatial consumption trends.
This is an one-year study and authors include Magda Psichoudaki, Dimitrios Tzelios, Maria Savvidou, Christos Mina, Costas Michael and Despo Fatta-Kassinos from Nireas-International Water Research Centre, University of Cyprus, Paralimni and Agia Napa Sewage Treatment Plant and Cyprus National Addictions Authority.
This is the first time the WBE is applied for systematic monitoring of alcohol consumption in Cyprus and the study shows variations of alcohol consumption between the capital and coastal areas. Alcohol consumption was significantly higher in the coastal areas during the summer. The was also significant correlation of alcohol consumption with certain illicit stimulants.
This work reports the results of a WBE-based study, conducted for the first time in the Republic of Cyprus, on alcohol consumption, throughout a one-year systematic monitoring. Daily influent wastewater samples from two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), one serving part of the capital city and one a coastal touristic area, were collected every three days for one year, and EtS (ethyl sulphate) was determined by means of liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.
The analysis revealed a relatively stable mean monthly alcohol consumption in the capital area, with daily consumption ranging from 0.31 to 10.60 mL/day/inh. In the coastal area, significant variations in alcohol consumption were observed, with tourist activity during the summer months being associated with nearly a tenfold increase in alcohol use compared to the winter months.
Furthermore, four weekly campaigns were conducted for the determination of five stimulant illicit drugs. The results indicated a statistically significant association between alcohol and some stimulants, namely methamphetamine, MDMA, and ketamine. While this association does not imply direct causation or co-consumption, it highlights potential patterns of concurrent presence in wastewater.
The study says that traditional methods for assessing alcohol consumption, such as self-reported population surveys, interviews and sales statistics, often face substantial challenges. These methods are prone to biases, including stockpiling, underreporting, social desirability related bias, inaccurate recall, and are not able to capture unregulated, illegally imported or home-produced alcohol effectively. An emerging approach to overcome these limitations is wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), which provides an objective and comprehensive measure of community-wide substance use.
This study employs WBE to investigate alcohol consumption in two distinct urban environments of the eastern Mediterranean, in the Republic of Cyprus: The capital of the country, Nicosia and a smaller, touristic area of Cyprus, the Agia Napa-Paralimni area.
The metropolitan city, characterized by a relatively large and diverse population, presents a unique opportunity to study alcohol consumption in a complex urban setting. In contrast, the smaller area, which experiences seasonal fluctuations in population due to tourism, offers insights into how alcohol use may be affected by transient populations and tourism-related activities.
By analyzing and contrasting these two environments, this study seeks to contribute to a better understanding of urban alcohol consumption dynamics and provide valuable data for public health authorities and policymakers. By comparing EtS in wastewater and alcohol consumption levels from these two locations, we aimed to elucidate differences in alcohol consumption patterns that may be influenced by factors such as population density, tourism, and socio-economic conditions.
The study provides as the authors say, the first systematic assessment of alcohol consumption in the Republic of Cyprus using wastewater-based epidemiology, offering valuable insights into temporal and spatial consumption patterns.
The findings underscore the potential of wastewater analysis as a real-time, population-level monitoring tool to inform public health strategies, assess seasonal and regional variations, and support evidence-based policymaking.
By identifying fluctuations linked to tourism and social behaviors, this work contributes to a broader understanding of substance use dynamics and the need for targeted public health interventions.
Simultaneously, the study investigates the presence of stimulant illicit drugs in the same areas, shedding light on their coexistence with alcohol consumption. This analysis aims to uncover temporal and spatial patterns of substance use across the studied communities, providing a deeper understanding of consumption behaviors and informing potential public health strategies.
The study can be found online at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S004896972501753X?via%3Dihub#preview-section-abstract
