Pathogens Pose Risks in Waterways and Wastewater

Even when pathogens are cleared from facilities through cleaning and by flushing them into the sewer, they remain hazardous. Researchers at the University of Stirling in Scotland found viruses can survive and remain infectious by binding themselves to plastics in water sources, according to a new study published in the international peer-reviewed journal Environmental Pollution.

The study revealed that rotavirus, which causes diarrhea, can survive and remain infectious for up to three days when binding with microplastics. It also found that gastrointestinal viruses in sewage are able to bind to small bits of plastic waste then enter waterways, including rivers and lakes.

Although pathogens and viruses with lipid coatings, such as the flu virus, died quickly when in the freshwater environment, those without lipid coatings, such as the norovirus, could survive.

“Even if a wastewater treatment plant is doing everything it can to clean sewage waste, the water discharged still has microplastics in it, which are then transported down the river, into the estuary, and end up on the beach,” said Richard Quilliam, a professor of environment and health at Stirling University and coauthor of the study. “We weren’t sure how well viruses could survive by ‘hitch-hiking’ on plastic in the environment, but they do survive, and they do remain infectious…It doesn’t take many virus particles to make you sick.”

Companies and facilities can help prevent infectious viruses in the waterways by decreasing their use of plastics and following proper plastic disposal/recycling protocols.

Find out how to transition to green and sustainable cleaning to use less plastic products.