Opioid levels in US wastewater spiked during the early pandemic months

By Chris Stokel-Walker

Levels of hydrocodone, an opioid painkiller, accrued successful US sewage during the covid-19 pandemic

GIPHOTOSTOCK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Use of immoderate illicit drugs decreased successful the US during the aboriginal stages of the coronavirus pandemic, portion medicine opioid usage skyrocketed, according to an investigation of wastewater.

Bikram Subedi and colleagues astatine Murray State University successful Kentucky analysed wastewater gathered from 2 communities successful occidental Kentucky and bluish Tennessee betwixt March and July 2020.

Wastewater is h2o flushed down toilets and sinks from homes that ends up astatine a sewage attraction plant. “Wastewater has galore antithetic …