Routine monitoring at sewage treatment works could provide a powerful early warning system for the next flu or norovirus epidemic.
In the first large scale and comprehensive wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) study in the UK, researchers at Bangor University, University of Bath and the UK Heath Security Agency analysed wastewater from 10 cities.
The wastewater was analysed for both chemical and biological markers of health, including:
- pesticides
- pharmaceuticals
- disease-causing viruses
The work was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the UK Health Security Agency.
