Context
Wastewater treatment generates aerosols of different sizes and all airborne biological agents can be subsequently deposited on surfaces. As a result, workers in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) may be exposed to viral agents during their occupational activities and, compared to general population, are more likely to develop a wide variety of work-related symptoms, including respiratory and gastrointestinal adverse outcomes.
Although several studies have already examined the presence of viruses in wastewater and WWTPs, the knowledge about potential infectivity of viruses in this occupational environment is still scarce. In this Application Note, we summarize the results of the first study to analyze, both qualitatively and quantitatively, the presence of the most common gastrointestinal and respiratory viruses in the occupational environment of WWTPs, using the Coriolis µ air sampler.
