Seasonal and weekly modulations of psychotropic substances (PSs) in Rome, Italy

In the frame of the LIFE+(Environment and Health) Programme, CNR participates to EXPAH project (co-ordinator: INAIL, Rome, Italy), aimed at assessing the true exposition of population to airborne toxicants. Although the principal objective of the project were polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a set of ancillary toxicants were investigated, comprising licit and illicit drugs, to elucidate the true role played by compound classes (Cecinato et al 2011) As for psychotropic substances, the study was focussed on nicotine (NIC), caffeine (CAF), cocaine (COC) and cannabinoids (CBs), i.e. the sum of cannabinol, cannabidiol and ?9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Measurements were made in Rome, Italy, at schools, private houses and offices (non-industrial workplaces) both indoors and outdoors (Table 1). The ambient data were compared to those detected at the monitoring stations belonging to Regional Pollution Network of ARPA Lazio. This kind of measurements was accompanied by those of regulated toxicants (PM2.5, O3, NO2), to account for possible interferences.