Sewage reveals Danes’ drug use

The Institute of Forensic Medicine at Aarhus University and the Danish Health Authority will begin to systematically collect wastewater samples twice a year in six major Danish cities to gauge drug misuse. Analyzing the samples will give insights into the use of drugs such as cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and oxycodone. The new method, seen as a supplement to existing knowledge, will provide reliable data on drug use for over a million people in a cost-effective manner. Inspired by the Statens Serum Institute’s weekly COVID-19 measurements in wastewater, these drug use assessments require daily collections over a week. Although yielding fresh insights, the method does not disclose specifics about individuals’ ages or identities. The cities involved, covering 1.2 million residents, are Copenhagen, Næstved, Odense, Esbjerg, Aalborg, and Aarhus. This surveillance program is part of an EU wastewater monitoring project led by Statens Serum Institute and aligns with the government’s opioid initiative unveiled on Monday.