Site-specific risk-based threshold (RBT) concentrations for sewage-associated markers in estuarine swimming waters.

Autor: Ahmed W; CSIRO Environment, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park, QLD 4102, Australia. Electronic address: Warish.Ahmed@csiro.au., Schoen ME; Soller Environmental, LLC, 3022 King St, Berkeley, CA 94703, USA., Soller J; Soller Environmental, LLC, 3022 King St, Berkeley, CA 94703, USA., Harrison JC; The Biodesign Institute Center for Environmental Health Engineering, Arizona State University, 1001 S. McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA., Hamilton KA; The Biodesign Institute Center for Environmental Health Engineering, Arizona State University, 1001 S. McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA; School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, 660 S College Ave, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA., Gebrwold M; CSIRO Environment, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park, QLD 4102, Australia., Simpson SL; CSIRO Environment, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park, QLD 4102, Australia., Payyappat S; Sydney Water, 2 Parramatta Square, Parramatta, NSW 2150, Australia., Cassidy M; Sydney Water, 2 Parramatta Square, Parramatta, NSW 2150, Australia., Harrison N; Sydney Water, 2 Parramatta Square, Parramatta, NSW 2150, Australia., Besley C; Sydney Water, 2 Parramatta Square, Parramatta, NSW 2150, Australia.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: The Science of the total environment [Sci Total Environ] 2024 Jun 15; Vol. 929, pp. 172448. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Apr 16.
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172448
Abstrakt: This study establishes site-specific risk-based threshold (RBT) concentrations for sewage-associated markers, including Bacteroides HF183 (HF183), Lachnospiraceae Lachno3 (Lachno3), cross-assembly phage (CrAssphage), and pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), utilizing quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) for recreational estuarine waters (EW). The QMRA model calculates a RBT concentration corresponding to a selected target illness risk for ingestion of EW contaminated with untreated sewage. RBT concentrations were estimated considering site-specific decay rates and concentrations of markers and reference pathogen (human norovirus; HNoV), aiding in the identification of high-risk days during the swimming season. Results indicated varying RBT concentrations for fresh (Day 0) and aged (Days 1 to 10) sewage contamination scenarios over 10 days. HF183 exhibited the highest RBT concentration (26,600 gene copis (GC)/100 mL) initially but decreased rapidly with aging (2570 to 3120 GC/100 mL on Day 10) depending on the decay rates, while Lachno3 and CrAssphage remained relatively stable. PMMoV, despite lower initial RBT (3920 GC/100 mL), exhibited increased RBT (4700 to 6440 GC/100 mL) with aging due to its slower decay rate compared to HNoV. Sensitivity analysis revealed HNoV concentrations as the most influential parameter. Comparison of marker concentrations in estuarine locations with RBT concentrations showed instances of marker exceedance, suggesting days of potential higher risks. The observed discrepancies between bacterial and viral marker concentrations in EW highlight the need for optimized sample concentration method and simultaneous measurement of multiple markers for enhanced risk predictions. Future research will explore the utility of multiple markers in risk management. Overall, this study contributes to better understanding human health risks in recreational waters, aiding regulators, and water quality managers in effective decision-making for risk prioritization and mitigation strategies.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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