Wastewater reveals socioeconomic link to alcohol consumption

Dr Tscharke with a wastewater sample. Credit: University of Queensland People from a higher socioeconomic status drink more alcohol on average than those of lower socioeconomic background, according to new research from The University of Queensland. Dr. Ben Tscharke from UQ’s Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS) said the team analyzed wastewater samples collected from 50 sites across Australia between 2016 and 2023, covering 50% of the population. The study was published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence. “We used wastewater analysis to assess long-term trends in alcohol consumption based Read More