In July 2021, the NDEWS Coordinating Center was awarded two administrative supplements from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to expand our efforts to monitor new and emerging drug trends through two new initiatives: wastewater-based epidemiology and national Poison Control data.
Led by Dr. Tara Sabo-Atwood, the wastewater-based epidemiology initiative will coordinate the collection and analysis of wastewater samples from four NDEWS sentinel sites for known drugs/metabolites and new psychoactive substances using high-end mass spectrometry approaches. This proof-of-concept proposal will integrate wastewater-based epidemiology, an innovative and cost-effective approach, into the existing NDEWS framework. Additional information can be found on the project’s NIH RePORTER page.
In collaboration with the RADARS System® (Researched Abuse, Diversion, and Addiction-Related Surveillance), NDEWS will also obtain Poison Control data from 48 states to examine monthly trends in exposures related to the use of heroin, fentanyl and its analogs, cocaine, methamphetamine, and various new psychoactive substances. Current trends in drug-related exposures and deaths will be rapidly disseminated each month through the NDEWS Weekly Briefing and other outlets. More information is available on NIH RePORTER.