Monkey Business/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Personal details of a person’s lifestyle — including what medications you take, if you like drinking beer over wine, your mental health status, and even your shopping habits — can be detected just by chemically scanning common items you use, like pens and cellphones.

According to researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, molecules we leave behind can be picked up by a device called a mass spectrometer — familiar to watchers of crime shows like C.S.I.

Trace molecules we leave behind can be sniffed out by the device, then compared to something called the Global Natural Product Social Molecular Networking database, which the Telegraph reports, can be used to create a specific profile for the owner of that random item.

While the leap can be key for crimefighters, the technology could make privacy experts cringe.

Copyright © 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.