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How accurate is wastewater testing?

Wastewater testing is quite accurate for estimating drug use, as it measures the breakdown products of drugs that people excrete. Scientists can then calculate the total amount consumed by a population. This method, used by the Home Office, provides a reliable, anonymous way to track drug trends, like the 26% rise in cocaine use mentioned in the story.

Stories that explain this

Britain Took About 2.5bn Lines of Cocaine in a Year

Questions this opens up

How do they collect samples? What are drug breakdown products? How reliable are the estimates?

Related explainers

Who does the wastewater testing? What other drugs can wastewater track? How big is the UK cocaine market? Why is cocaine use increasing? Where are sewage samples taken? How do they know how much cocaine? How violent are cocaine crimes? How accurate are atomic clocks?

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