They are testing what?

Do you ever wonder where all of your teachers and counselors get their statistics about drugs? Or even how they found the information? Well one way is by testing wastewater. Researchers have recently developed a new and more accurate way of figuring out the amount of drug use in a specific area. The idea of testing the wastewater was developed right her in our own wonderful state of Oregon, at well Oregon State University. Water treatment facilities, you know the ones that treat all of the water we flush down the toilet or send down the sink, all over the state of Oregon volunteered to be part of the testing according to Science Daily News.

The Water Treatment centers collected samples periodically throughout a day to provide enough samples to see the amount of drug use from a 24-hour period. 96 facilities participated and those 96 treatment centers represented 65 percent of Oregon’s population. There were three drugs were found as the most used, Methamphetamine, Ecstasy, and Cocaine. Cocaine was found most in the treatment centers that were used for the bigger cities. Traces of Meth were found just about everywhere. Ecstasy was found in only about half of the treatment centers but where it was found was mostly the urban centers.

So what does all of this mean? There testing our wastewater, what does that mean for us? Well the idea behind the whole program was designed to help Health Officials get a better picture of the levels of drug use in different areas. This information can also be used to help the police know which areas most need to be watched for drug dealers and users. The idea is still in its early stages but is well on its way to being used across the country. The fact that someone even came up with the idea of testing our waste shows that people are concerned about drug use. Think about it, people are trying to raise tons of money so that scientists can sit in a lab and test dirty water, someone must care about the amount of people who use drugs. It sounds like one of those jobs that should be on the Discovery Channel show, Dirty Jobs. I sure would not want that job.