Can cocaine use be evaluated through analysis of wastewater?
Wastewater analysis is a promising tool to evaluate cocaine consumption at both local and national scale. This rapid and direct estimation of the prevalence of cocaine use in Belgium corresponds with socio-epidemiological data. However, the strategy needs to be refined further to allow a more exact calculation of cocaine consumption from concentrations of BE in wastewater.
Dual-energy mixed images offer an image quality comparable to SE images within the central FoV at comparable dose levels. In the peripheral FoV, image quality is decreased. By optimizing the composition ratio in the DE mixed images, higher CNRs than in the SE images can be achieved, leading to a dose reduction potential.