Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) provides a multifaceted approach to community-wide public health monitoring and is a powerful tool for estimating near-real time monitoring of pharmaceutical consumption . The concept is based on an assumption that pharmaceuticals consumed within a community will be excreted either unchanged (parent) and/or as a mixture of metabolites into the sewage system. By measuring these pharmaceutical residues, otherwise known as biomarkers, in influent (untreated) wastewater, back-calculation can be applied to estimate consumption at the community level. WBE has been utilized to inform on a wide range of diverse public health, including illicit drugs , pharmaceuticals , tobacco and alcohol ; as well as exposure to chemicals such as pesticides , industrial chemicals or personal care products .