University of Puget Sound professor Dan Burgard says the academic response to his study of drugs in waste water has been a mix of curiosity and bewilderment.

"Everybody thinks, 'Wow, you can do that?'" Burgard said in an interview Wednesday. "Then they say, 'Wait, what else can you find?'"

Burgard's research on the presence of amphetamines and other drugs in the sewage at college campuses prompted American Civil Liberties Union attorney Alison Holcomb to suggest Spokane look at his process for testing marijuana use trends Tuesday. Burgard said he's intrigued by the idea, but there would be many logistical hurdles to scale for his direct involvement and the numbers would not be as illuminating as if sewage prior to retail shops opening could be tested.

"You can still watch trends over the next couple of years," Burgard said. "As more stores open, do we see more (THC), or do we see the same old, same old?"

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Burgard, a professor of chemistry, received his Ph.D. from the University of Denver in 2006. He said his training is in shining lights through the atmosphere to measure levels of air pollution from vehicles. His initial interest in drug levels in sewage came from the comments of a colleague, he said.

"We were talking about stuff, and he said all the kids are using Adderall," Burgard said. "So, first of all, I said, A) what's Adderall?"

The question prompted Burgard's first study on drug traces in waste water, which had a high level of error because the researcher said he was learning the proper technique for sampling sewage. Since then, he's collected samples going back about nine months at two waste water treatment facilities on the West Side in anticipation of publishing a paper about legalization's effects on THC levels in sewage.

Burgard said his method is an unbiased way to measure drug usage levels over time for a population feeding into a single source of waste water. Before sewage analysis, researchers had to base their findings on surveys, which requires respondents to be truthful about their legal habits.

"Now that we have this other supply (of marijuana), after July 1, do we see an increase in use?" Burgard said. "That's a question nobody has the answer to. They can pretend to know the answer, but nobody's ever done this test before."

He acknowledged some of the ethical concerns that have been raised by cities that might potentially provide sewage for analysis, including privacy concerns and worries over stigmatization. But Burgard said it's unlikely researchers will ever be able to directly tie drug use to a single waste water contributor.

"My understanding is that there's no way that will ever work," Burgard said. DNA does not attach itself to the drug residue that winds up in the sewage, he said. If authorities wanted to drug test a particular person's sewage, they could collect a sample directly from a single residence, but Burgard said that approach would not be economically feasible. It would also likely require police to obtain a warrant.

Burgard hopes to continue collecting samples and publish on the topic in the future. Right now, he's working on obtaining grant money for further research and solidifying relationships with communities for more testing. He said he had been contacted by the Spokane City Council to aid in the process of testing the city's sewage for THC levels, but there are no firm plans in place to do so.

 

 

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