Wastewater-based epidemiology

Wastewater-based epidemiology (or wastewater-based surveillance or sewage chemical-information mining) analyzes wastewater to determine the consumption of, or exposure to, chemicals or pathogens in a population. This is achieved by measuring chemical or biomarkers in wastewater generated by the people contributing to a sewage treatment plant catchment.^[1] Wastewater-based epidemiology has been used to estimate illicit drug use in communities or populations, but can be used to measure the consumption of alcohol, caffeine, various pharmaceuticals and other compounds.^[2] Wastewater-based epidemiology has also been adapted to measure the load of pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 in a community.^[3] It differs from traditional drug testing, urine or stool testing in that results are population-level rather than individual level. Wastewater-based epidemiology is an interdisciplinary endeavour that draws on input from specialists such as wastewater treatment plant operators, analytical chemists and epidemiologists.

^ Sims, Natalie; Kasprzyk-Hordern, Barbara (2020). "Future perspectives of wastewater-based epidemiology: Monitoring infectious disease spread and resistance to the community level". Environment International. 139: 105689. doi:10.1016/j.envint.2020.105689. ISSN 0160-4120. PMC 7128895. PMID 32283358.
^ Choi, Phil M.; Tscharke, Ben J.; Donner, Erica; O'Brien, Jake W.; Grant, Sharon C.; Kaserzon, Sarit L.; Mackie, Rachel; O'Malley, Elissa; Crosbie, Nicholas D.; Thomas, Kevin V.; Mueller, Jochen F. (2018). "Wastewater-based epidemiology biomarkers: Past, present and future". TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry. 105: 453–469. doi:10.1016/j.trac.2018.06.004. ISSN 0165-9936. S2CID 103979335.
^ Medema, Gertjan; Heijnen, Leo; Elsinga, Goffe; Italiaander, Ronald; Brouwer, Anke (2020). "Presence of SARS-Coronavirus-2 RNA in Sewage and Correlation with Reported COVID-19 Prevalence in the Early Stage of the Epidemic in The Netherlands". Environmental Science & Technology Letters. 7 (7): 511–516. Bibcode:2020EnSTL...7..511M. doi:10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00357. ISSN 2328-8930. PMC 7254611. PMID 37566285.

[SimsKasprzyk-Hordern2020-1] Sims, Natalie; Kasprzyk-Hordern, Barbara (2020). "Future perspectives of wastewater-based epidemiology: Monitoring infectious disease spread and resistance to the community level". Environment International. 139: 105689. doi:10.1016/j.envint.2020.105689. ISSN 0160-4120. PMC 7128895. PMID 32283358.

[Choi-2] Choi, Phil M.; Tscharke, Ben J.; Donner, Erica; O'Brien, Jake W.; Grant, Sharon C.; Kaserzon, Sarit L.; Mackie, Rachel; O'Malley, Elissa; Crosbie, Nicholas D.; Thomas, Kevin V.; Mueller, Jochen F. (2018). "Wastewater-based epidemiology biomarkers: Past, present and future". TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry. 105: 453–469. doi:10.1016/j.trac.2018.06.004. ISSN 0165-9936. S2CID 103979335.

[KWR-3] Medema, Gertjan; Heijnen, Leo; Elsinga, Goffe; Italiaander, Ronald; Brouwer, Anke (2020). "Presence of SARS-Coronavirus-2 RNA in Sewage and Correlation with Reported COVID-19 Prevalence in the Early Stage of the Epidemic in The Netherlands". Environmental Science & Technology Letters. 7 (7): 511–516. Bibcode:2020EnSTL...7..511M. doi:10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00357. ISSN 2328-8930. PMC 7254611. PMID 37566285.

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