Synthetic drugs: OFDT warns of massive chemical pollution in Europe
Clandestine production of amphetamines and MDMA generates up to 30 times its volume in toxic waste. The OFDT calls for environmental concerns to be integrated into anti-drug efforts.
Chemical waste from drug trafficking: an ecological impact still underestimated
The illicit manufacture of synthetic drugs produces massive quantities of chemical waste with environmental and health consequences that remain largely unknown, according to a note published on Monday by the French Observatory for Drugs and Addictive Trends (OFDT), reported by sudouest.fr.
"Clandestine production of synthetic drugs generates five to thirty times their volume in chemical waste, which, discharged haphazardly, pollutes water, soil and atmosphere, and damages biodiversity, even at very low concentrations," states the OFDT, whose conclusions are based on surveys conducted worldwide.
Amphetamines, methamphetamine, MDMA, ketamine and other synthetic substances are concerned. All stages of trafficking escape, by nature, any environmental or safety standard.
Treatment plants overwhelmed
The environmental impact is described as "potentially massive" by the Observatory. Treatment plants do not eliminate, or only marginally remove, complex residues from these substances, causing "serious ecotoxicological damage" ranging from behavioural disturbance to genetic impairment.
The OFDT identifies three aggravating factors linked to the explosion in production in Europe, particularly in Belgium and the Netherlands: long life cycles allowing these substances to persist in soils and sewer networks; contamination of surfaces that resists decontamination; and increased toxicity from uncontrolled chemical combinations, referred to as the "cocktail effect".
Possible involuntary exposure for the population
The Observatory emphasises that at present, "people may, unknowingly, ingest, breathe or absorb residues of synthetic drugs through contact, via water, food or locations contaminated by trafficking or consumption".
The OFDT acknowledges, however, that "studies are lacking to understand contamination dynamics". The institution calls for these environmental issues to be made visible in public debate still dominated by security dimensions, and for environmental justice to be integrated into drug control policies.
Source: Google News MA — Crime (fr)