Division of Consultancy, Research & Innovation (CRI), Sharjah Environment Company - Bee'ah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
Division of Consultancy, Research & Innovation (CRI), Sharjah Environment Company - Bee'ah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
Sci Total Environ. 2020 Nov 20;744:140946. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140946. Epub 2020 Jul 15.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is spreading globally having a profound effect on lives of millions of people, causing worldwide economic disruption. Curbing the spread of COVID-19 and future pandemics may be accomplished through understanding the environmental context of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and adoption of effective detection tools and mitigation policies. This article aims to examine the latest investigations on SARS-CoV-2 plausible environmental transmission modes, employment of wastewater surveillance for early detection of COVID-19, and elucidating the role of solid waste, water, and atmospheric quality on viral infectivity. Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 via faecal-oral or bio-aerosols lacks robust evidence and remains debatable. However, improper disinfection and defected plumbing systems in indoor environments such as hospitals and high-rise towers may facilitate the transport of virus-laden droplets of wastewater causing infection. Clinical and epidemiological studies are needed to present robust evidence that SARS-CoV-2 is transmissible via aerosols, though quantification of virus-laden aerosols at low concentrations presents a challenge. Wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 can be an effective tool in early detection of outbreak and determination of COVID-19 prevalence within a population, complementing clinical testing and providing decision makers guidance on restricting or relaxing movement. While poor air quality increases susceptibility to diseases, evidence for air pollution impact on COVID-19 infectivity is not available as infections are dynamically changing worldwide. Solid waste generated by households with infected individuals during the lockdown period may facilitate the spread of COVID-19 via fomite transmission route but has received little attention from the scientific community. Water bodies receiving raw sewage may pose risk of infection but this has not been investigated to date. Overall, our understanding of the environmental perspective of SARS-CoV-2 is imperative to detecting outbreak and predicting pandemic severity, allowing us to be equipped with the right tools to curb any future pandemic.
新型冠状病毒病 2019（COVID-19）在全球范围内传播，对数百万人的生活产生了深远的影响，导致全球经济混乱。通过了解严重急性呼吸系统综合征冠状病毒 2（SARS-CoV-2）的环境背景以及采用有效的检测工具和缓解政策，可能会遏制 COVID-19 和未来的大流行。本文旨在探讨 SARS-CoV-2 可能的环境传播模式的最新研究，利用废水监测进行 COVID-19 的早期检测，以及阐明固体废物、水和空气质量对病毒感染力的作用。SARS-CoV-2 通过粪口或生物气溶胶传播的说法缺乏有力的证据，仍然存在争议。然而，室内环境（如医院和高层塔楼）中不当的消毒和有缺陷的管道系统可能会促进携带病毒的废水飞沫的传播，从而导致感染。需要进行临床和流行病学研究，以提供有力的证据表明 SARS-CoV-2 可通过气溶胶传播，尽管低浓度下携带病毒的气溶胶的定量存在挑战。SARS-CoV-2 的废水监测可以作为早期发现疫情和确定人群中 COVID-19 流行率的有效工具，补充临床检测，并为决策者提供关于限制或放宽行动的指导。虽然空气质量差会增加患病的易感性，但目前还没有关于空气污染对 COVID-19 感染力影响的证据，因为世界各地的感染情况正在不断变化。在封锁期间，受感染个体产生的家庭固体废物可能会通过接触传播途径促进 COVID-19 的传播，但这一问题尚未引起科学界的关注。接收未经处理污水的水体可能存在感染风险，但迄今为止尚未对此进行调查。总的来说，我们对 SARS-CoV-2 的环境视角的理解对于发现疫情和预测大流行的严重程度至关重要，使我们能够配备正确的工具来遏制任何未来的大流行。
