Mask mandates, social distancing, and frequent hand washing became the norm during the COVID-19 pandemic. While these measures were directed at SARS-CoV-2, public health officials noticed that there were corresponding reductions in other respiratory viruses, such as influenza. But what impact, if any, did these measures have on the spread of enteric pathogens--the ones most commonly associated with diarrhea?

This episode takes a "deep dive" into wastewater surveillance, but this time focusing on enteric pathogens, specifically norovirus, adenovirus, enterovirus, Cryptosporidium, and Giardia. By looking at how wastewater concentrations of these pathogens vary over time and by location, we can better understand how infections are spreading, where public health interventions might be appropriate, and even the implications for our drinking water systems.

This is an AI-generated podcast created with NotebookLM based on a publication in Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology. The original article is available here: https://doi.org/10.1039/D4EW00620H

The steady climb of a roller coaster generally leads to an exciting, stomach-turning descent. But in the world of drinking water, peaks can be stomach-turning in a much different way. To mitigate these scenarios, potable reuse systems that turn wastewater back into drinking water are often designed assuming worst-case scenarios (e.g., peak pathogen concentrations). While this is a conservative approach to public health protection, it can have adverse consequences on the sustainability of these treatment systems. This begs the question: is there another way to mitigate peak pathogen conditions?

This episode takes a "deep dive" into disease outbreaks, the effects on wastewater pathogen concentrations, and the implications for the design of potable reuse systems. In particular, this episode focuses on hydraulics and the effects of mixing and dispersion on contaminant spikes. In other words, can we attenuate peak virus concentrations using the law of averaging ?

This is an AI-generated podcast created with NotebookLM based on a publication in ACS ES&T Water. The original article is available here: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.1c00378

There is always a baseline level of uncertainty when it comes to making critical decisions. But what do you do when there's a significant 'shock' to the system that causes this baseline uncertainty to spike? In 2020, when the genetic signal of SARS-CoV-2 was detected in wastewater, the field of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) was jumpstarted. But this also raised questions of whether this emerging pathogen posed any risks to public drinking water systems, particularly in the context of potable reuse.

This episode takes a "deep dive" into the drinking water industry's response to SARS-CoV-2 and the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, this episode describes an 'editorial perspective' written in response to questions of whether our potable reuse systems were sufficiently robust to handle this new pathogen. This editorial demonstrates that we can leverage prior knowledge, identify and conduct critical research to fill knowledge gaps, and continue to protect public health, even under extreme uncertainty.

This is an AI-generated podcast created with NotebookLM based on a publication in Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology. The original article is available here: https://doi.org/10.1039/D0EW90031A