Overview of the Design, Construction, and Operation of the McMurdo Wastewater Treatment Facility in Antarctica

Law, Kam P.; Kulchawik, Robert J.; Zenz, David R.; Bouchard, Tony B.

doi:10.2175/193864706783749909

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Under the Environmental Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty (the Madrid Protocol, 1991) Annex III, the provisions for wastewater management are very general (Smith and Riddle, 2009). Thus a variety of wastewater treatments are in use, ranging from a lack of any form of treatment facility at stations with an average of fewer than 30 persons during the summer (37% of the permanent stations and 69% of the summer stations; Gröndahl et al, 2009) to advanced treatment systems generating final effluent quality that far exceeds secondary treatment standards (Law et al, 2006). Consequences of such differential treatment of wastewater is reflected by the introduction of enteric bacteria and antimicrobial resistant bacteria to the environment adjacent to research stations (Hernandez and González-Acuña, 2016).…”

Section: Transmission To Antarctic Wildlifementioning

confidence: 99%

Risk Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 in Antarctic Wildlife

Barbosa¹,

Vansani²,

Morandini³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has spread rapidly to most parts of the world, causing high numbers of deaths and significant social and economic impacts. SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus with a suggested zoonotic origin and with the potential for cross-species transmission among animals. Antarctica can be considered the only continent free of SARS-CoV-2 although at the end of the 2019-2020 tourist season, at least one SARS-CoV-2 positive tourist visited the Antarctic Peninsula. Therefore, concerns have been expressed regarding the potential human introduction of this virus to the continent through the activities of research or tourism with potential effects including those related to human health, but also the potential for virus transmission to Antarctic wildlife. This reverse-zoonotic transmission risk to Antarctic wildlife is assessed considering the available information on host susceptibility, dynamics of the infection in humans, and contact interactions between humans and Antarctic wildlife. Measures to reduce the risk are proposed as well as the identification of knowledge gaps related to this issue.

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Section: Transmission To Antarctic Wildlifementioning

confidence: 99%

Risk Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 in Antarctic Wildlife

Barbosa¹,

Vansani²,

Morandini³

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Risk assessment of SARS-CoV-2 in Antarctic wildlife

Barbosa

Varsani

Morandini

et al. 2021

Science of The Total Environment

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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This pathogen has spread rapidly across the world, causing high numbers of deaths and significant social and economic impacts. SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus with a suggested zoonotic origin with the potential for cross-species transmission among animals. Antarctica can be considered the only continent free of SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, concerns have been expressed regarding the potential human introduction of this virus to the continent through the activities of research or tourism to minimise the effects on human health, and the potential for virus transmission to Antarctic wildlife. We assess the reverse-zoonotic transmission risk to Antarctic wildlife by considering the available information on host susceptibility, dynamics of the infection in humans, and contact interactions between humans and Antarctic wildlife. The environmental conditions in Antarctica seem to be favourable for the virus stability. Indoor spaces such as those at research stations, research vessels or tourist cruise ships could allow for more transmission among humans and depending on their movements between different locations the virus could be spread across the continent. Among Antarctic wildlife previous in silico analyses suggested that cetaceans are at greater risk of infection whereas seals and birds appear to be at a low infection risk. However, caution needed until further research is carried out and consequently, the precautionary principle should be applied. Field researchers handling animals are identified as the human group posing the highest risk of transmission to animals while tourists and other personnel pose a significant risk only when in close proximity (< 5 m) to Antarctic fauna. We highlight measures to reduce the risk as well as identify of knowledge gaps related to this issue.

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Overview of the Design, Construction, and Operation of the McMurdo Wastewater Treatment Facility in Antarctica

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

Risk Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 in Antarctic Wildlife

Risk Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 in Antarctic Wildlife

Risk assessment of SARS-CoV-2 in Antarctic wildlife

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