# Monitoring Public Health by Analysis of Sewage **URL:** \ **Category:** Tracking with Closeups\ **Tags:** public-health, sewage, epidemiology, wastewater\ **Created:** [18 May 2022 11:59 UTC](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/t/monitoring-public-health-by-analysis-of-sewage/1389 "2022-05-18T11:59:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![johnwalker](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/user_avatar/scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/johnwalker/32/17415_2.png) [@johnwalker](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/u/johnwalker)\ **Post date:** [18 May 2022 11:59 UTC](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/t/monitoring-public-health-by-analysis-of-sewage/1389/1 "2022-05-18T11:59:21Z")
[![](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/uploads/default/original/2X/8/8392e9eb6c70f34d323e204c9a5fce7c0990a8f4.jpeg "How We Track COVID-19 (And Other Weird Stuff) In Sewage") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNKef7ZVuc0) You are (or were) what you flush. Does privacy end where the sewer starts? ---
**Author:** ![civilwestman](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/user_avatar/scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/civilwestman/32/25_2.png) [@civilwestman](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/u/civilwestman)\ **Post date:** [18 May 2022 12:42 UTC](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/t/monitoring-public-health-by-analysis-of-sewage/1389/2 "2022-05-18T12:42:36Z")
No privacy issue. It is merely fetid data. ---
**Author:** ![1789Libertarian](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/user_avatar/scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/1789libertarian/32/1089_2.png) [@1789Libertarian](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/u/1789Libertarian)\ **Post date:** [18 May 2022 14:56 UTC](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/t/monitoring-public-health-by-analysis-of-sewage/1389/3 "2022-05-18T14:56:18Z")
Not to mention, legally speaking, it would probably be treated the same as you throwing out things in the garbage and moving the trash can to the street for pick up. Once that has happened your privacy interest in the items in the trash can vanishes. I suspect sewage would be treated the same.