Evaluating the consumption of illicit drugs via wastewater analysis: How forensic indicators are used in open and confined settings

Locard’s fundamental principle that ‘every contact leaves a trace’ can be extended to the consumption of illicit or prescription drugs. The human organism absorbs the product and transforms it in its related metabolites, thus facilitating its elimination. The excreted compounds can thus be considered traces conveying objective information about the type, consumption pattern and, potentially, quantities consumed by a person and, by extrapolation, by a given population. This chapter looks at sampling strategies in both wastewater treatment plants and confined spaces such as prisons. The applications and limitations of wastewater-based epidemiology are presentedand the case is made that more can be achieved through an interdisciplinary approach.