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Evaluation of monitoring schemes for wastewater-based epidemiology to identify drug use trends using cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA and methadone

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-18, 18:42 authored by Melissa Humphries, Raimondo BrunoRaimondo Bruno, Lai, FY, Thai, PK, Barbara HollandBarbara Holland, O'Brien, JW, Ort, C, Mueller, JF
Wastewater-based epidemiology is increasingly being used as a tool to monitor drug use trends. To minimize costs, studies have typically monitored a small number of days. However, cycles of drug use may display weekly and seasonal trends that affect the accuracy of monthly or annual drug use estimates based on a limited number of samples. This study aimed to rationalize sampling methods for minimizing the number of samples required while maximizing information about temporal trends. A range of sampling strategies were examined: (i) targeted days (e.g., weekends), (ii) completely random or stratified random sampling, and (iii) a number of sampling strategies informed by known weekly cycles in drug use data. Using a time-series approach, analysis was performed for four drugs (MDMA, methamphetamine, cocaine, methadone) collected through a continuous sampling program over 14 months. Results showed, for drugs with weekly cycles (MDMA, methamphetamine and cocaine in this sample), sampling strategies which made use of those weekly cycles required fewer samples to obtain similar information as sampling 5 days per week and had better accuracy than stratified random sampling techniques.

History

Publication title

Environmental Science and Technology

Volume

50

Issue

9

Pagination

4760-4768

ISSN

0013-936X

Department/School

School of Natural Sciences

Publisher

Amer Chemical Soc

Place of publication

1155 16Th St, Nw, Washington, USA, Dc, 20036

Rights statement

Copyright 2016 American Chemical Society

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Expanding knowledge in the mathematical sciences

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