Today tests on sewage in Flanders and Brussels show it contains 7 to 11 times more ketamine on weekdays than 10 years ago. The figures are published in a study from Antwerp University . Ketamine is a narcotic that has been on the rise for some time. It is an illegal drug that has become increasingly popular in the Flemish nightlife.
Ketamine use across Flanders surges: up to 11 times more ketamine in sewage than 10 years ago
Colin Clapson
Published:
‘The use of ketamine has increased over the past 10 years, more than expected’ explains researcher Natan Van Wichelen (UAntwerpen).
‘In some Flemish cities, we found 7 to 11 times more ketamine in sewage water than in 2012. These results confirm that ketamine is gaining in popularity.’
Antwerp University (UAntwerpen) analysed water samples of sewage water at 26 locations across Flanders and Brussels. Researchers looked specifically for human breakdown products of ketamine, mainly in urine. In this way they could be sure they were only measuring ketamine consumed by humans.
What is ketamine?
Ketamine is used as an anaesthetic in hospitals (and in veterinary medicine). But it is also used as an illicit drug in nightlife, under the name ‘ket’, ‘Special K’, or ‘Vitamin K’. It is usually snorted.
Besides bringing sedation and pain relief, ketamine also causes hallucinations. It can result in nausea and psychosis. Severe oxygen deprivation can also occur when high doses are used.
In the long term, ketamine can lead to chronic bladder infections, brain damage and psychosis.
Source: de druglijn
‘An increase in ketamine seizures and hospital admissions due to excessive ketamine use have been observed for some time. So we wanted to investigate whether this trend was also visible in wastewater,’ says Van Wichelen. ‘But we didn't expect such large increases.’
‘The big advantage of wastewater analysis lies in the fact that everyone participates in our study. This allows us to paint a good picture of the consumption of illegal substances, such as ketamine, which is more difficult to map out using other methods.’
Anytime, anywhere
Earlier research by the Flemish Alcohol and other Drugs Expertise Centre (VAD) among partygoers already showed that ketamine was on the rise as an illicit drug. The use of ketamine now appears to be widespread, says Van Wichelen.
Ketamine is a narcotic that can cause hallucinations.
‘We found the highest concentrations in cities and in regions close to the Dutch border. We also found significant amounts of ketamine in sewage in rural areas. The idea that drugs are only used in big cities is not true for ketamine.’
Another surprising finding is that ketamine was not only detected in sewage in large quantities at weekends. ‘We also found really large amounts of ketamine on weekdays too,’ explains Van Wichelen.
‘Ketamine is definitely a party drug, but it is more than that. Consumption throughout the year is relatively stable, whereas with other drugs we see huge peaks during holidays or festival periods and then they disappear again. With regard to ketamine, we can say it really is being used both in the party environment, but also beyond that.’
Sewage was sampled between 2020 and 2023 at the wastewater treatment centres of Ostend, Bruges, Roeselare, Harelbeke, Menin, Ghent, Destelbergen, Aalst, Liedekerke, Sint-Niklaas, Antwerp-South, Aartselaar, Deurne, Antwerp-North, Turnhout, Mechelen-North, Dendermonde, Grimbergen, Leuven, Brussels-North, Brussels-South, Beersel, Tessenderlo, Houthalen, Genk and Hasselt.
The study was published in the scientific journal ‘Water Research’ .