WELLINGTON, March 19 (Xinhua) — Scientists have successfully monitored New Zealanders’ alcohol consumption via wastewater in the country’s first large-scale trial.
The technique of testing wastewater, already used for monitoring COVID-19 and illicit drug use, could help health service providers track the use of New Zealand’s most harmful drug, according to scientists at the University of Auckland.
Alcohol consumption can be determined from wastewater because scientists can detect ethyl sulphate, a compound excreted after the body metabolizes the ethanol in an alcoholic drink, said a research article published on “Chemistry: An Asian Journal” on Tuesday.
Ten water catchment areas covering about 40 percent of New Zealand’s population were monitored over six months in 2021 in collaboration with the Institute of Environmental Science and Research’s wastewater testing team.
Places are chosen to give a range of city sizes and coverage of both North and South islands. Sampling took place over seven days each month, it said.
The research showed New Zealand’s average alcohol consumption was estimated to be 1.2 standard drinks each day for people aged 15 and over, notably lower than the estimate in a World Health Organization report in 2018.
It also showed that South Islanders consumed more alcohol than North Islanders, and smaller settlements had higher consumption than bigger ones. Drinking spikes were associated with special events such as public holidays and rugby and cricket matches.
The method provides reliable and community-scale data related to alcohol consumption, according to the research.
Miriama Wilson, the student who worked on the project for her master’s thesis, said they hope that New Zealanders can overcome the stereotype that Maori and Pacific Islands people are big drinkers, as the research result showed the unfair and prejudicial stereotype was untrue.
