6533b823fe1ef96bd127e183

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Wastewater-based epidemiology, a tool to bridge biomarkers of exposure, contaminants, and human health

María Morales Suárez-varelaMaría Morales Suárez-varelaDyana VitaleYolanda PicóYolanda Picó

subject

medicine.medical_specialtyHealth Toxicology and MutagenesisSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)0208 environmental biotechnologyPopulationSewage02 engineering and technologyDisease010501 environmental sciences01 natural sciencesHuman healthEnvironmental healthEpidemiologyEnvironmental ChemistryMedicineeducation0105 earth and related environmental scienceseducation.field_of_studybusiness.industryWastewater analysisPublic Health Environmental and Occupational HealthContamination020801 environmental engineeringWastewaterChemicalsPathogensbusinessCommunity health assessmentBiomarkers

description

The concept of wastewater-based epidemiology also known as sewage epidemiology was proposed by Daughton in 2001. Wastewater-based epidemiology has become now a reality that makes it possible to determine consumption or exposure to chemical substances or pathogens in a population by measuring certain compounds (drugs of abuse, metabolites, or biomarkers) or microorganisms (viruses, bacteria, and parasites) in wastewater. The first and most developed application is the estimation of illicit drug consumption in communities or populations, but it can be used to measure both consumption and exposure to a wide range of substances and pathogens. Its recent application to measure the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoVID-2) loads in neighborhoods, towns, and cities serves as an example of its usefulness. As a result, wastewater-based epidemiology can be helpful to determine lifestyle, exposure to toxic agents, and prevalence of disease in a given population. This review highlights how it has become a tool to bridge biomarkers of exposure, contaminants, and human health.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coesh.2021.100229