NANTUCKET – Nantucket’s health department has begun testing the island’s wastewater for certain drugs and viruses to get a better sense of community needs, and the initial results are in.
The island reportedly has a 50 percent higher than national average use of cocaine.
Meanwhile, methamphetamine and fentanyl levels were below average. The drugs were tested for from June to August.
Officials said the program will also check for opioids, RSV, and more. It builds off of wastewater testing programs that began during the COVID pandemic to test for viral loads in populations.
“Wastewater testing provides a valuable and cost-effective way to monitor drug use trends. Unlike surveys or medical records, it offers near real-time insight with fewer biases and can detect substances anonymously across large populations. By collecting a single composite sample from the island’s wastewater treatment facility, which services about 70% of residents, the program captures data that reflects island-wide trends without identifying individuals or neighborhoods, thereby preserving community privacy while maximizing insight,” say wastewater surveillance program officials.
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