Bombé, an undetermined substance that caused an outbreak of illicit drug use in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Abstract

Background

Illegal drugs are becoming a public health problem in African cities. In 2021, Bombé, a new drug of unknown composition, caused an outbreak of neuro-psychiatric symptoms in Kinshasa. Bombé was rumored to be based on ground catalytic exhausts stolen from cars.

Methods

The chemical composition of six samples of Bombé obtained from different neighborhoods in Kinshasa was determined by triple quad liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry with confirmation by quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Metals were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Results

Analysis of the Bombé samples revealed that it contained heroin (2–12% of the total area under the curve of the samples) and opioid derivatives, plus paracetamol (33–72%), caffeine (17–26%), and also benzodiazepines (5/6 samples) and cyproheptadine (2/6 samples). The concentrations of neurotoxic metals were unremarkable. The median (range) concentrations of manganese and lead were 9.4 µg/g (range 3–334 μg/g) and 0.36 µg/g (range 0.1–3.12 μg/g ), respectively. All polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were below the level of detection (<0.10 µg/g).

Conclusion

Thanks to international collaboration, Bombé was documented to be a heroin-based drug and its alleged origin from catalytic exhausts was not substantiated. The local human expertise and technical capacity for undertaking toxicological analyses should be increased in Africa.

Keywords:

• Illegal drugs
• neuro-psychiatric symptoms
• benzodiazepines
• cyproheptadine
• opioids

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This short communication was written during Paul Musa’s doctoral training at KU Leuven, with support from ARES-CUD, and Alumni KU Leuven (Ontwikkelingssamenwerking VZW).