A Communal Drug Test via the Sewer
Dr. Jennifer Field and grad student Aurea Chiaia-Hernandez prepare samples for liquid chromatography. Tom Banse for NPR hide caption
In Oregon, a team of scientists is making an ambitious attempt to figure out which illegal drugs residents are using. They need only one teaspoon of sewage to administer a citywide drug test. The relatively new field of science is called "sewage epidemiology" and it has a range of practical applications.