Cocaine
Cities measured
87
Detected in
84 / 87
Highest
0.029 μg/L — Lima
Overview
Cocaine is a Schedule I/Class A alkaloid stimulant. Its presence in water arises from urinary excretion (~1–5% excreted unchanged). Cocaine concentrations in European rivers have been used as a public health surveillance tool to estimate urban drug use — a methodology called Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE).
Health Relevance
At environmental trace concentrations (ng/L), cocaine has no pharmacological effect on humans. Ecotoxicological effects on eels and fish have been observed at μg/L concentrations, including altered swimming behaviour and tissue damage.
Regulatory Limits
Drinking Water Directive 2020/2184
No regulatory limit.
Controversy & Contested Science
The EMCDDA's Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) programme — using cocaine/benzoylecgonine in city sewage as a population-level drug use indicator — reports annually. London and Antwerp consistently show the highest cocaine use per capita in Europe. Privacy advocates argue WBE constitutes mass population surveillance without individual consent. Public health researchers argue it provides objective, unbiased prevalence data unavailable through self-reporting. The debate about informed consent in population-level wastewater monitoring has not been resolved.