QMRA of SARS-CoV-2 for workers in wastewater treatment plants

Rn, Zaneti; Girardi, Alessandro; Fr, Spilki; Mena, Kristina D.; Apc, Westphalen; ERdC, Colares; Ag, Pozzebon; Rg, Etchepare

doi:10.1101/2020.05.28.20116277

Cited by 15 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…The risks estimated from this study were higher compared with the risks of COVID-19 infections for customers within a market 35 . However, the estimates were similar to data published by Zanetti et al, 34 for workers in wastewater treatment plants (2.6×10 −3 to 1.3×10 −2 ). The comparative risks estimate from our study and for the wastewater treatment workers is largely due to the high viral loads measured on the contact surfaces and wastewater.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…A manageable risk of 1.17×10 -3 has been recommended by Zhang et al, 35 , meaning 1 person out of a thousand being infected is acceptable. In contrast Zanetti et al, 34 derived a tolerable risk of infection for SARS-CoV-2 to be 5.5×10 −4 per person per year (pppy), setting a very high tolerable/acceptable risk figure.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…To date two papers has reported a risks assessment for SARS-CoV-2 using the quantitative microbial risk assessment approach 34,35 . However, the potential risks of infection with this virus from contact surfaces has been established.…”

Section: Risk Of Covid-19 Infection From the Use Of Shared Sanitationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These dose-response parameters have been used in assessing the risks of COVID-19 infections for workers in wastewater treatment plants 34 .…”

Section: Risk Of Covid-19 Infection From the Use Of Shared Sanitationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The quantitative microbial risks assessment (QMRA) approach has been encouraged as a tool to assess risks associated with bioaerosols, drinking water, reclaimed water and irrigation water 29,30,31,32,33 . This approach has been used in estimation of the risks for COVID-19 infections for wastewater treatment workers 34 and exposure in a market setting 35 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Detection of SARS-CoV-2 on contact surfaces within shared sanitation facilities and assessment of the potential risks for COVID-19 infections

Amoah

Pillay

Deepnarian

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Contamination of contact surfaces with SARS-CoV-2 has been reported as a potential route for the community transmission of COVID-19. This could be a major issue in developing countries where access to basic sanitation is poor leading to the sharing of toilet facilities. In this study, we present the first report of SARS-CoV-2 contamination on key contact surfaces in shared toilets, in the city of Durban, using droplet digital PCR and assessed the probabilistic risks of COVID-19 infections.Approximately, 53-69% of the contact surfaces were contaminated, with SARS-CoV-2 viral loads per cm2 ranging from 25.9 to 132.69 gc/cm2. Toilet seats had the highest contamination per cm2. The results suggested that the leading cause of contamination in shared toilets could be the shedding of the viral particles in feces and contaminated hands. We observed a significant reduction in viral loads on the contaminated surfaces after cleaning, showing the potential of effective cleaning on the reduction of contamination of these surfaces. The probabilistic assessment showed a high potential for COVID-19 infections. Touching the internal latch of the toilet cubicle had the highest risk of infections (4.3x10-2(6.0x10-4)) when a person uses the toilet once in a day, increasing to 1.0x10-1(1.4x10-3) for three uses in a day. The risks estimated in this study were higher than any of the tolerable/acceptable risk figures proposed for COVID-19 from environmental exposure. This calls for the implementation of risk reduction measures, such as strict adherence to wearing face masks, regular washing of hands with soap, and effective and regular cleaning.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Risk Of Covid-19 Infection From the Use Of Shared Sanitationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These dose-response parameters have been used in assessing the risks of COVID-19 infections for workers in wastewater treatment plants 34 .…”

Section: Risk Of Covid-19 Infection From the Use Of Shared Sanitationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 on contact surfaces within shared sanitation facilities and assessment of the potential risks for COVID-19 infections

Amoah

Pillay

Deepnarian

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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SARS-CoV-2: sewage surveillance as an early warning system and challenges in developing countries

Panchal

Prakash

Bobde

et al. 2021

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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Graphical abstract Transmission of novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in humans happens either through airway exposure to respiratory droplets from an infected patient or by touching the virus contaminated surface or objects (fomites). Presence of SARS-CoV-2 in human feces and its passage to sewage system is an emerging concern for public health. Pieces of evidence of the occurrence of viral RNA in feces and municipal wastewater (sewage) systems have not only warned reinforcing the treatment facilities but also suggest that these systems can be monitored to get epidemiological data for checking trend of COVID-19 infection in the community. This review summarizes the occurrence and persistence of novel coronavirus in sewage with an emphasis on the possible water environment contamination. Monitoring of novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) via sewage-based epidemiology could deliver promising information regarding rate of infection providing a valid and complementary tool for tracking and diagnosing COVID-19 across communities. Tracking the sewage systems could act as an early warning tool for alerting the public health authorities for necessary actions. Given the impracticality of testing every citizen with limited diagnostic resources, it is imperative that sewage-based epidemiology can be tested as an early warning system. The need for the development of robust sampling strategies and subsequent detection methodologies and challenges for developing countries are also discussed.

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Using QMRA to understand possible exposure risks of SARS-CoV-2 from the water environment

Tyagi

Gurian

Kumar

2021

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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Graphical abstract This study investigated the human risk of infection due to inadvertent ingestion of water during swimming in a river that receives SARS-CoV-2-containing effluent from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). A quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) approach was applied for risk estimation using dose-response models (DRM) of different surrogate coronaviruses (SARS-CoV-1, MERS-CoV) and the virus responsible for most infectious respiratory illnesses (i.e., influenza A H5N1) due to the unavailability of DRM for SARS-CoV-2. The ratio of infectious concentration to genomic copies of SARS-CoV-2 is unknown and also unavailable for other coronaviruses. Therefore, literature-based information on enteric viruses was used for formulating the ratio used for QMRA, although it is acknowledged that identifying this information for SARS-CoV-2 is a priority, and in the absence of information specific to SARS-CoV-2, another coronavirus would be a preferable surrogate to the enteric viruses used here. The calculated concentration of ingested SARS-CoV-2 ranged between 4.6 × 10 − 7 and 80.5 genomic copies/dip (one swim = 32 mL). The risk of infection (> 9 × 10 − 12 to 5.8 × 10 − 1 ) was found to be > 1/10,000 annual risk of infection. Moreover, the study revealed that the risk estimation was largely dependent on the value of the molecular concentration of SARS-CoV-2 (gc/mL). Overall immediate attention is required for obtaining information on the (i) ratio of infectious virus to genomic copies, (ii) DRM for SARS-CoV-2, and (iii) virus reduction rate after treatment in the WWTPs. The QMRA structure used in present findings is helpful in analyzing and prioritizing upcoming health risks due to swimming performed in contaminated rivers during the COVID-19 outbreak. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11356-021-16188-0.

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QMRA of SARS-CoV-2 for workers in wastewater treatment plants

Cited by 15 publications

References 30 publications

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 on contact surfaces within shared sanitation facilities and assessment of the potential risks for COVID-19 infections

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 on contact surfaces within shared sanitation facilities and assessment of the potential risks for COVID-19 infections

SARS-CoV-2: sewage surveillance as an early warning system and challenges in developing countries

Using QMRA to understand possible exposure risks of SARS-CoV-2 from the water environment

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