Wastewater Testing for High-Risk Substances
About the Data
Wastewater testing is a valuable tool that can be used to monitor drug use trends in a community. Through wastewater analysis, we are able to detect high-risk substances anonymously across large populations without identifying individuals or neighborhoods and preserving community privacy. Wastewater data, alongside other data sources, helps identify concerning patterns or trends that can inform timely and evidence-based interventions aimed at preventing drug overdoses in the community.
In Genesee and Orleans Counties, there are four wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), also known as sewersheds, who participate in the program and collectively serve approximately 27,500 residents. Data on both the parent drugs and their metabolites are collected for five high-risk substances. Parent drugs are psychoactive chemical compounds, and metabolites are the chemical end products that people excrete after consuming drugs.
If you have questions or are interested in more historical data, please contact health@geneseeny.gov or OCPublicHealth@orleanscountyny.gov.
Data provided by: Biobot Analytics, Inc.
Cocaine
Cocaine is a stimulant that is most commonly inhaled but can also be absorbed orally, smoked, and injected intravenously. Most cocaine detected in wastewater will be from illicit use, though cocaine very rarely may be used as a local anesthetic. When cocaine consumption occurs, the parent drug (cocaine) concentration will typically be lower than its metabolite (benzoylecgonine) in wastewater.
Fentanyl
Fentanyl is a highly potent synthetic opioid that has both medical and illicit uses. In medical settings, fentanyl can be administered via injection, skin patches, nasal sprays, or soluble films designed to dissolve in the mouth. Illicitly, however, fentanyl is most often injected or taken orally via fentanyl-contaminated pills. Fentanyl may be combined with other substances for illicit use. Naloxone (Narcan) is effective at reversing a fentanyl overdose.
Wastewater catchments that capture waste from hospitals or other medical facilities may have fentanyl contributions from both prescribed and illicit fentanyl use. Generally, when fentanyl consumption occurs, the parent drug (fentanyl) concentration will be lower than its metabolite (norfentanyl) in the wastewater.
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant that can be smoked, inhaled, injected, or taken orally. When used illicitly, it is primarily smoked. It is used infrequently in pill form for medical applications. When methamphetamine consumption occurs, the parent drug (methamphetamine) concentration will be higher than its metabolite (amphetamine) in wastewater. Trends in amphetamine consumption may not always mirror those of methamphetamine, as amphetamine itself is commonly prescribed and can also be used illicitly.
Xylazine
Xylazine is a veterinary tranquilizer that has emerged as a contaminant in illicit opioid supplies in recent years. Several federal, state, and local agencies have issued warnings about the increased risk to communities related to the presence of this substance in the illicit drug supply. When xylazine consumption occurs, the parent drug (xylazine) concentration will be higher than its metabolite (4-hydroxyxylazine) in the wastewater.
Nicotine
Nicotine is a commonly used legal stimulant found in tobacco and electronic vapor products (i.e. vapes or e-cigarettes). Depending on the product, nicotine can be smoked, absorbed orally, administered via a skin patch, or vaporized and inhaled.
Data on the nicotine parent drug is not available as estimates of unmetabolized nicotine in wastewater are often biased by rainfall and storm conditions, particularly in combined sewer systems where discarded cigarettes can be washed down storm drains and enter the wastewater. The metabolite of nicotine (trans-3′-hydroxycotinine) represents a more accurate estimate of nicotine consumption.