The Denver Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE) is partnering with Biobot Analytics as part of its mission to combat the opioid crisis through a wastewater testing program for high-risk substances, including fentanyl.
DDPHE is specifically targeting fentanyl because it is a powerful synthetic opioid that has been linked to an increasing number of fatal overdoses in Denver. DDPHE believes it can leverage Biobot’s advanced technology and expertise in wastewater epidemiology to enable the department to detect and quantify population consumption levels of fentanyl and other substances within the Denver sewer shed.
“DDPHE is committed to funding innovative solutions to address complex public health challenges,” said Karin McGowan, executive director of DDPHE. “Together, we are confident that the combined efforts will yield meaningful insights and drive positive outcomes in the fight against the opioid epidemic in Denver.”
Once a week, project staff will test wastewater samples taken from Metro Water Recovery’s Robert Hite Treatment Facility. Data from those tests will generate city-wide public health insights that inform targeted interventions, resource allocation, and evidence-based strategies for prevention and harm reduction. City and county leaders said that this “data-driven approach will bolster Denver’s overdose prevention efforts by detecting the presence of fentanyl, its adulterations, and related substances to better anticipate spikes in use within the community.”
In terms of whether this data will be made public, DDPHE said the exact protocols for data sharing and the creation of a public dashboard are still in development. The department explained that a period of three months is generally required to establish a baseline of High Risk Substance data in wastewater, at which point DDPHE will consider additional data sharing methods.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Denver on this innovative program,” said Biobot CEO Mariana Matus. “It’s exciting to see so much momentum and support for wastewater epidemiology not only as a method to track infectious diseases, but also as a valuable tool to combat a range of public health threats, including the opioid epidemic.”
In a Q&A posted to its website, DDPHE noted that there are no individual data privacy concerns. The department explained that samples collected represent a population rather than individuals. Chemical analysis of samples does not produce any personally identifiable information, DDPHE said, and wastewater aggregates all human waste in a community, naturally anonymizing each sample. Additionally, DDPHE explained that wastewater data will not be used for law enforcement purposes, but only to inform harm reduction strategies and public health interventions.
