New Pollution Challenges in Groundwater and Wastewater Due to COVID-19

El-Ramady, Hassan; Eid, Yahya Z; Brevik, Eric C

doi:10.21608/jsas.2020.51353.1257

New Pollution Challenges in Groundwater and Wastewater Due to COVID-19

Document Type : Review Article

Authors

¹ Soil and Water Dept., Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, 33516 Kafr El-Sheikh, Egypt

² Vice-Dean for Graduate Studies, Research and Cultural Affairs Faculty of Agriculture,, Kafrelsheikh University 33516 - Kafr El-Sheikh, EGYPT. Tel: +20 111 1819340 Fax:+20 473109524

³ Departments of Natural Sciences and Agriculture and Technical Studies, Dickinson State University, Dickinson, ND, 58601

10.21608/jsas.2020.51353.1257

Abstract

Water is considered one of the most important components of life, alongside atmospheric air. Its pollution represents a serious threat not only to human health but also to the surrounding ecology. Water pollution problems were aggravated in the era of COVID-19. Approximately 80% of global diseases are waterborne, and polluted aquatic environments have been linked to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes the disease COVID-19. Understanding the fate of this virus in aquatic environments like water and wastewater is critical. SARS-CoV-2 may be adsorbed on charged colloidal particles and this process probably depends on the pH of the medium. Other parameters that may influence this process include sorptive interaction with solid particles in soils, aquatic environments and sewage sludge. There are several areas of research that need to be investigated regarding the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 and the transmission of COVID-19 to aqueous environments, including indirect relationships between different aquatic environments (e.g., groundwater, drinking water and wastewater) and outbreaks of COVID-19. Different pathways and the fate of SARS-CoV-2 in water, wastewater and groundwater and subsequent human exposures also need to be determined. These issues will be explored in this review.

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