Methamphetamine
Cities measured
87
Detected in
84 / 87
Elevated / alert
1
Highest
0.031 μg/L — Los Angeles
Overview
Methamphetamine is a powerful stimulant and neurotoxin. EMCDDA WBE data show highest concentrations in Czech Republic, Slovakia, Finland, and eastern Germany — reflecting established production networks. Stockholm detections are low.
Health Relevance
At environmental concentrations, no direct pharmacological risk via drinking water. Behavioural effects in zebrafish at μg/L concentrations.
Regulatory Limits
Drinking Water Directive 2020/2184
No regulatory limit.
Controversy & Contested Science
EMCDDA surveillance has documented a shift in European methamphetamine production from small Czech 'cooks' using ephedrine to large-scale industrial synthesis using BMK (benzyl methyl ketone) imported from China. Production labs moved to the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. For every kilogram of methamphetamine produced, ~5–6 kg of chemical waste is generated — typically dumped illegally in rural areas, contaminating soil and groundwater. Dutch law enforcement documents this as a distinct rural environmental crime category costing hundreds of millions in remediation.