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oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/1289202025-12-16T01:07:05Zcom_20.500.14352_14col_20.500.14352_15

Long-term WBE monitoring of alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine in two Spanish cities: COVID-19 impacts and beyond Melones Peña, Natalia Pérez Corona, María Teresa Pardo, María Carmen Gracia Lor, Emma 543 Caffeine Nicotine Alcohol Wastewater analysis Spatial and temporal trends Public health surveillance Química 23 Química Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a valuable tool for assessing population-level consumption of addictive substances. This study presents long-term WBE monitoring (2021–2025) of alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine in Madrid and Guadalajara (Spain), including the first city-wide spatial analysis in Europe. A total of 192 composite 24-h untreated wastewater samples were collected from nine wastewater treatment plants: one in Guadalajara and eight in Madrid. Regression models were applied to assess spatial and temporal trends, as well as the impact of key events such as the COVID-19 restrictions, New Year celebrations, and weekends. Key findings show that between 2021 and 2024 alcohol and nicotine use showed a decreasing trend in both cities, while caffeine consumption remained stable with slight increases. In Madrid, average alcohol consumption declined from 27.7 to 16.3 mL/day/person and nicotine by approximately 800 mg/day/1000 person; in Guadalajara, alcohol decreased from 13.1 to 7.7 mL/day/person and nicotine 500 mg/day/1000 person. In December 2023, full city-level estimates from Madrid revealed alcohol consumption between 12.8–18.4 mL/day/person, nicotine 2180–3300 mg/day/1000 person, and caffeine 68.5–134.7 mg/day/person. Notably, alcohol and nicotine reached their highest levels among the New Year periods during the 2022–2023 celebration, the first unrestricted one after the pandemic; levels during this period dropped in the following years. These results highlight temporal and spatial patterns in the consumption of legal substances and suggest shifts in public behavior after COVID-19 and the utility of WBE as a long-term monitoring tool for public health surveillance and planning. Plan Nacional sobre Drogas (Ministerio de Sanidad) Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades Depto. de Química Analítica Fac. de Ciencias Químicas TRUE pub 2025-12-15T09:57:56Z 2025-12-15T09:57:56Z 2025-11-20 journal article VoR https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/128920 XXXX-XXXX 10.1007/s11356-025-37060-5 eng EXP2022/008817 PID2023-148425NB-I00 PID2022-137050NB-I00 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/AEI/Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica y Técnica y de Innovación 2021-2023/PID2022-137050NB-I00/ES/METODOS ESTADISTICOS Y COMPUTACIONALES EN INVESTIGACION CLINICA/ Melones-Peña, Natalia, et al. «Long-Term WBE Monitoring of Alcohol, Nicotine, and Caffeine in Two Spanish Cities: COVID-19 Impacts and Beyond». Environmental Science and Pollution Research, vol. 32, n.o 47, noviembre de 2025, pp. 26876-89. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-025-37060-5. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ restricted access application/pdf Madrid y Guadalajara Springer Nature