Sewage sampling reveals how rich and poor live

An image showing a hand flushing a toilet

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Richer citizens taste for alcohol and poorer ones higher rates of prescription drug use revealed

If you’re rich in Australia you’re more likely to drink plenty of coffee and eat citrus fruits, while if you’re poorer you’ll have less fibre in your diet and be more likely to be on painkillers. That’s a couple of the findings from one of the first studies that has attempted to link wealth to the kind of chemicals and dietary markers you can find in sewers.