Nantucket Sewage Tests Uncover Cocaine Usage

Tests on sewage from one Massachusetts community has turned up a surprising discovery.

In Nantucket, wastewater surveillance technology installed during the COVID-19 pandemic at the Surfside Wastewater Treatment Facility has been employed for tracking drug use on the island. The results from the testing revealed that Nantucket's sewage had cocaine levels approximately 50% greater than the national average.

The testing covered approximately three-quarters of homes and included about 70% of the residents, according to a Daily Mail report.

The Daily Mail reported that Nantucket's sewage pipes had produced 1,500 nanograms of cocaine per liter (ng/L) of wastewater since the beginning of the summer. This amount is well above the national average of 1,000 ng/L.

Nicotine levels were around the regional average of just under 4,000 ng/L. That's marginally below the national average of 4,500 ng/L.

Many theories abound about how and why the cocaine has entered Nantucket's waters. According to Randolph Rice, a Maryland-based attorney, the cocaine likely enters the sewage through "smaller but frequent flushes as users pass the drug through their system," the Daily Mail stated.

"To have consistent days, a consistent test with that level of cocaine spikes, it seems to be that it's coming from the ZIP code and the high level of use by its residents and visitors," Rice noted in a statement shared with the Daily Mail. 

"While the goal is not to estimate exact numbers of users, the data will help identify concerning patterns, such as sustained increases in certain drug markers, that can guide timely, evidence-based interventions,' Nantucket health officials said in a statement. "For example, if a prolonged spike in stimulant use is observed, the town can coordinate educational outreach, screening efforts, or peer-led recovery support tailored to that substance."