Scientists have found large quantities of a cocaine by-product in a river in northern Italy - suggesting consumption is much higher than previously thought. The River Po was found to be carrying the equivalent of nearly 4kg (8.8lb) of cocaine daily. The Po Valley is home to about five million people. The study estimated daily consumption to be about 27 doses (100mg or 0.004oz each) per 1,000 young adults. The study was published by the web journal Environmental Health. The chemical tested - benzoylecgonine (BE) - had arrived via the sewage system from the urine of drug users. A by-product of cocaine metabolism, it cannot be produced by other means. The estimated daily consumption “greatly exceeds official national figures,” the report says.
