Potential spreading risks and disinfection challenges of medical wastewater by the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (sars-cov-2) viral rna in septic tanks of Fangcang hospital
Autor
Zhang, Dayi
Ling, Haibo
Huang, Xia
Li, Jing
Li, Weiwei
Yi, Chuan
Zhang, Ting
Jiang, Yongzhong
He, Yuning
Deng, Songqiang
Zhang, Xian
Wang, Xinzi
Liu, Yi
Li, Guanghe
Qu, Jiuhui
Institución
Resumen
The outbreak of coronavirus infectious disease-2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia raises the concerns of effective deactivation of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in medical wastewater by disinfectants. In this study, we evaluated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA in septic tanks of Wuchang Cabin
Hospital and found a striking high level of (0.5–18.7) × 103 copies/L after disinfection with sodium hypochlorite.
Embedded viruses in stool particles might be released in septic tanks, behaving as a secondary source of SARSCoV-2 and potentially contributing to its spread through drainage pipelines. Current recommended disinfection
strategy (free chlorine ≥0.5 mg/L after at least 30 min suggested by World Health Organization; free chlorine
above 6.5 mg/L after 1.5-h contact by China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) needs to be reevaluated
to completely remove SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA in non-centralized disinfection system and effectively deactivate
SARS-CoV-2. The effluents showed negative results for SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA when overdosed with sodium hypochlorite but had high a level of disinfection by-product residuals, possessing significant ecological risks.