Citation

Cyranoski D. Nature 2018; 559: 310-311.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

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PMID

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Abstract

Dozens of cities across China are applying an unusual forensic technique to monitor illegal drug use: chemically analysing sewage for traces of drugs, or their telltale metabolites, excreted in urine.

One southern city, Zhongshan, a drug hotspot, is also monitoring waste water to evaluate the effectiveness of its drug-reduction programmes, says Li Xiqing, an environmental chemist at Peking University in Beijing who is working with police in these cities ...