Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) and sewage chemical information mining is a technique for determining a population's consumption of chemicals or disease exposure. A sewage treatment facility measures chemical or biological entities (biomarkers) in municipal wastewater to do so. Aside from illicit drug use, wastewater-based epidemiology can quantify alcohol, caffeine, pharmaceuticals, and other chemicals. In addition, wastewater-based epidemiology can detect diseases such as SARS-CoV-2 in a population. Wastewater-based epidemiology is a collaborative effort that includes wastewater treatment plant operators, chemists, and epidemiologists.
According to water quality professionals, contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are pollutants found in water bodies that may harm the environment or human health but are not currently regulated. These pollutants come from agriculture, urban runoff, everyday household products (such as soaps and disinfectants), and pharmaceuticals.
Natural and synthetic hormones, as well as 1,4-dioxane, are emerging contaminants. After being discharged as waste, CECs can enter the water cycle via runoff into rivers, effluent discharge, seepage, and infiltration into the water table, eventually joining the public water supply system. Some emerging contaminants are known carcinogens or ones that disrupt the endocrine system and cause other toxic mechanisms.
Teledyne ISCO automatic samplers can help local governments, private industry, colleges and universities, and many other organizations detect the COVID-19 virus, pharmaceuticals, and CECs in wastewater and provide the information needed to develop a corrective plan of action.
For more information about Teledyne ISCO samplers in Western Pennsylvania, Northern Ohio, Western Maryland, and West Virginia ,contact Advance Instruments. Call 888-388-6446 or visit https://advanceinstruments.com.
