Table 1

Levels and loads of cocaine and its metabolite (benzoylecgonine, BE) in the River Po and WWTPs.
	Levels^a		Loads

	Cocaine (ng/liter)	BE (ng/liter)	Cocaine equivalents^b(g/day)

River Po	1.2 ± 0.2^c	25 ± 5^c	3800 ± 720^c
WWTPs^d
Cagliari	83	640	130
Cuneo	76	420	30
Latina	120	750	33
Varese	42	390	36

^aCocaine and BE were analyzed by HPLC-MS/MS ^bCocaine loads were estimated from BE concentrations in the waters (see Methods) ^cMean ± SD ^dWaste water treatment plant locations
Zuccato et al. Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source 2005 4:14 doi:10.1186/1476-069X-4-14