Using biomarkers in sewage to monitor community-wide human health - BioSCIM

What is it about?

This article presents the second application of the SCIM concept. Named BioSCIM, it is proposed as a means of real-time measurement of collective, community-wide public health (or disease/stress). This is the follow-on, companion article to the first proposed SCIM application (ASAP-SCIM: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.11.015), which was conceptualized as a real-time means to measure the size of human populations.

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Why is it important?

BioSCIM represents the first proposed use of monitoring sewage for biomarkers to quickly gauge the collective health of entire communities. The biomarker assessed to have the greatest potential was the class of chemicals known as isoprostanes - prostaglandin-like products from the free-radical catalyzed oxidation of certain polyunsaturated fatty acids - which reflect systemic oxidative stress. BioSCIM offers the first potential means to view and treat communities as a "collective patient."