The COVID-19 pandemic: Considerations for the waste and wastewater services
sector
#MMPMID38620229
Nghiem LD
; Morgan B
; Donner E
; Short MD
Case Stud Chem Environ Eng
2020[May]; 1
(?): 100006
PMID38620229
show ga
This article discusses the potential ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic on
waste and wastewater services, focusing on critical points where alternative
operating procedures or additional mitigation measures may be advisable. Key
concerns are (i) the long half-life of the virus on materials such as waste
containers, bags, and in wastewater, and (ii) possible transmission via
contaminated waste surfaces and aerosols from wastewater systems. There are
opportunities to further the science of wastewater-based epidemiology by
monitoring viral RNA in wastewater to assess disease prevalence and spread in
defined populations, which may prove beneficial for informing COVID-19 related
public health policy.