Faster-acting graphene sensor detects opioid metabolites in wastewater - Technology Org:
A sensor that detects opioid byproducts in wastewater faster and cheaper than current commonly used methods has been developed by U.S. National Science Foundation grantee researchers.
The graphene field effect transistor device can detect four natural and synthetic opioids simultaneously. The device is an emerging application of the growing wastewater-based epidemiology field, a discipline that has recently been deployed to measure coronavirus levels.
"The new sensor is able to rapidly, cheaply and easily measure opioids in wastewater," said Kenneth Burch of Boston College, a lead author of the report. "Its sensitivity and portability allow for wastewater-based epidemiology at the local scale — as specific as block-by-block or dorm-by-dorm — while ensuring privacy."
Journal Reference:
Narendra Kumar, Muhit Rana, Michael Geiwitz, et al. Rapid, Multianalyte Detection of Opioid Metabolites in Wastewater, ACS Nano (DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c07094)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 29 2022, @10:01PM
Privuhcee? You're under arrest!
(Score: 4, Informative) by Immerman on Tuesday March 29 2022, @10:10PM (7 children)
"This technology will let us spy on you, while preserving privacy"
Damn, how much thicker can they lay on the doublespeak? I really wish 1984 hadn't been taken as a how-to manual...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 29 2022, @11:16PM (1 child)
Stop interfering with justice, citizen. Criminals have no right to privacy, and opioid users are criminals.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 29 2022, @11:54PM
Just make sure your sewer connection is downstream from a hospital. They must dump more opioids than anyone else.
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Wednesday March 30 2022, @12:51AM (1 child)
Block-by-block or dorm-by-dorm may be reasonable, especially when it comes to "recreational" drugs being laced with something far deadlier, like Fentanyl [youtu.be]. "Hey, students are consuming pot!" Um, yeah, and? You need a dealer or something? "Hey, students are smoking pot but there are opioids in the wastewater!" Uh, maybe we should do something before we start wheeling corpses out of the dorm regularly.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 30 2022, @01:54AM
I guess it's yet another thing that can go horribly wrong if you get anyone else use your loo.
You get put on a watch list.
You will never get off of it.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by ikanreed on Wednesday March 30 2022, @02:37AM (1 child)
What they mean is "You could, hypothetically, not use it in a witch hunt to find harmless users, and accuse them of being distributors, if you really wanted"
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Wednesday March 30 2022, @01:25PM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 31 2022, @06:59AM
1984 literally has a how-to manual as an appendix. Orwell understood that you can't fight creeping fascism if you dont recognize it, so he did the public a favour on that.