A pilot wastewater‐based epidemiology assessment of anabolic steroid use in Queensland, Australia

Abstract

Anabolic‐androgenic steroids are synthetic compounds prohibited due to their performance‐enhancing characteristics. The use of these substances is known to cause health‐related issues, which highlights the importance of being able to evaluate the scale of consumption by the general population. However, most available research on the analysis of anabolic steroids is focused on animals and athletes in connection with doping. The potential of wastewater‐based epidemiology as an intelligence tool for the assessment of community level use of anabolic steroids is presented herein. A liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the analysis of 10 anabolic‐androgenic steroids and 14 endogenous hormones in influent wastewater. The validated method was applied to sixteen 24‐hour composite wastewater influent samples that were collected over a period of five years from two wastewater treatment plants in Queensland, Australia. Nine investigated compounds were found to be present at concentrations between 14 and 611 ng L−1 which translated into 3–104 mg excreted per 1000 individuals per day. It was concluded that the developed analytical method is suitable for the analysis of AAS in wastewater matrix. Additionally, both the inclusion of metabolites and further investigation into deconjugation by enzymatic hydrolysis would aid in understanding and evaluating community anabolic steroid use. For the first time, this study presents the application of wastewater‐based epidemiology on anabolic‐androgenic steroids in Australia.

Determination of anabolic androgenic steroids in dietary supplements and external drugs by magnetic solid‐phase extraction combined with high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

“…As seen, compared with Wozniak's work [14] and Shin's work [34], the proposed MSPE method was much simpler with lower LODs than QuEChERS or SPE methods. In contrast with Shimko's study [35], no isotopic internal standards were required in the proposed method, and the LODs obtained in this study were comparable with those obtained by Shimko. In summary, the developed method possesses high sensitivity and high salt resistance and is easy to use, making it a suitable method for measuring low concentrations of AASs in complex samples.…”

In-Sewer Stability Assessment of Anabolic Steroids and Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators

“…This is supported by the fact that despite our results indicating complete degradation of testosterone and progesterone in the GS and RM reactors, they have been analyzed quantitatively in wastewater in multiple countries. 11,12,27 3.3. Implications for Wastewater Analysis Suitability of Biomarkers.…”

“…[10][11][12]14 Backe et al analyzed steroid metabolites in wastewater but could not confirm if detected biomarkers such as boldenone were excreted naturally or formed in the sewer. 9 Criterion 4 has been assessed for the in-sample stability of anabolic steroids only (post collection) 9,10,12 but not for selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs). No studies have thus far investigated the stability of both anabolic steroids and SARMs, two chemically very diverse subgroups belonging to the group of anabolic agents within PIEDs, 15 in the sewage system.…”

“…Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a widely used tool to estimate chemical consumption (e.g., for estimating illicit drug consumption within the general population) that may have a potential application in PIED monitoring. − For a chemical to be a suitable health biomarker for WBE, the chemical must meet a range of criteria including: being excreted via urine in consistent amounts; having a unique source from human metabolism; being detectable in wastewater; and being stable in wastewater …”

“…Studies that have investigated synthetic anabolic agents in wastewater, criterion 3, often focussed on analyzing parent chemicals as opposed to metabolites. − , Backe et al analyzed steroid metabolites in wastewater but could not confirm if detected biomarkers such as boldenone were excreted naturally or formed in the sewer . Criterion 4 has been assessed for the in-sample stability of anabolic steroids only (post collection) ,, but not for selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs). No studies have thus far investigated the stability of both anabolic steroids and SARMs, two chemically very diverse subgroups belonging to the group of anabolic agents within PIEDs, in the sewage system.…”