Hard data on hard drugs? - Assessing illicit drug loads in sewers

Abstract

The monitoring of illicit drugs in wastewater is an appealing idea within an emerging field. Objective, evidence-based data on drug-use can be obtained from urban drainage systems in real-time and without the limitations of population surveys. While current analytical techniques are sensitive enough to quantify arrays of substances in wastewater, current models to assess community consumption figures from substance loads are too simplistic and neglect relevant influence factors, such as sewer transport and transformation. In a case study of community cocaine use, observed substance loads show significant hourly variations, which demonstrates the need to consider the effect of short-time variations in the assessment of community drug use. Although the results from an integrated stochastic model are in general agreement with population surveys, further work is needed regarding the conceptualisation of drug use epidemiology, sewer processes and parameter estimation procedures.