Detect the drug in the air

A Spanish research institute has uncovered the existence of cocaine in the atmosphere of Madrid and Barcelona using new technology.

An old market in Barcelona. Picture: New York Times.

An expert group of the Spanish Research Council (CSIC) analyzes the air to search for 17 ingredients in five drugs - cocaine, amphetamine, opium, marijuana and lysergic acid. The results show that cocaine is the largest substance in the atmosphere of the two cities of Madrid and Barcelona. Specifically, for every cubic meter of air there are 29 to 850 picograms (one trillion grams) of cocaine.

This is the first time scientists have applied the search for ingredients of drugs in the air. The team argues that air samples in Madrid were taken near a district with drug cartels operating. Scientists also found that cocaine levels increased in the two weekends.

'This shows that the amount of drug used is increased at that time,' the team concluded. However, CSIC also thinks that people should not worry. "Even if we live up to 1,000 years, the amount of drugs we breathe from the air is not enough ," explains CSI scientist Miren Lopez de Alda.