A research team led by scientists from the University of Auckland in New Zealand has uncovered the presence of remnants of narcotic chemicals in the skies over New Zealand, the first tests of its kind in Oceania, a geographical area that includes Australia, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia.
To reach the findings, published in the journal Atmospheric Pollution Research in May 2023, researchers took 10 air samples over a five-week period in the vicinity of the University of Auckland.
After chemically analyzing the samples using liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry, the scientists found residues that represented tiny percentages of tetrahydrocannabinol, methamphetamine, nicotine and caffeine.
Methamphetamine is a powerful stimulant that is highly addictive and directly affects the central nervous system, while crystal meth is currently the second most prevalent drug in the world.
Tetrahydrocannabinol is the main compound in the cannabis plant, from which narcotic substances such as hashish and marijuana are extracted.
Methamphetamine is a powerful highly addictive stimulant that directly affects the central nervous system (Shutterstock)
A new type of tool
According to the study, the largest concentration found by the scientists in these measurements was nicotine, which represented 4.91 nanograms per cubic meter of air (a nanogram is one billionth of a gram), and this can be explained as a natural consequence of the prevalence of smoking.
Methamphetamine was discovered by researchers at a concentration of 104 picograms (picograms per trillionth of a gram) per cubic meter of air.
In general, the concentrations of these chemicals combined do not pose any risk to humans in these or any other areas, but these measurements are commonly used to understand the nature of air pollution as well as to help law enforcement study the kinetics of narcotic substances.
For example, researchers found that the greatest concentration of cannabinoids was in the week before the Christmas holidays, and also on New Year's Eve.
Similarly, if a rise in the proportion of any of these substances is observed for weeks or months on end, this means that there is a greater need for intervention by law enforcement, for example by deploying more patrols and pushing investigations to search for new suppliers.
According to a press release issued by the University of Auckland on April 17, these new tools could be applied in conjunction with periodic wastewater analyses, which are performed to look for the proportions of narcotic substances such as cocaine, fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine, for the same purpose, which is to track drug consumption across the country.