The COVID-19 pandemic, now distant in our collective memory, brought the issue of hospital wastewater treatment and pandemic control to the forefront of reality on a global scale never experienced before. It left us with the results we all know and a resolution that allows us today to speak with that same sense of detachment.
However, a singular fact emerged from the discussion of the problem and the search for solutions to contain the pandemic. At a certain point, the detection of the virus responsible for the pandemic in municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) was considered a positive factor. It allowed for the identification of localities where the pandemic was developing with intensity—localities that could be isolated and contained to prevent dissemination.
The Invisible Danger in Sewer Networks
A different reading of these facts, from a less immediate perspective appropriate for moments of deeper reflection, reveals what we have known for a long time: the existence of bio-hazardous and pathogenic contamination in domestic wastewater throughout the entire sewer network route to the municipal WWTP. These are wastewaters that circulate in our networks and end up in treatment plants and/or rivers, lakes, and seas.
Any accident or pipeline rupture, or any contact with these waters, could accelerate the uncontrolled dissemination of this or any other virus. Thus, the resistance of this and other viruses to less-than-adequate environmental conditions was proven.
About 20 years ago, technical groups at the European Commission addressed the risks of uncontrolled contamination in sewer networks. There was evidence of WWTP operators being affected for “unknown reasons,” leading to suspicions of contamination caused by their presence in WWTPs, the manipulation of contaminated water treatment equipment, and/or contact with contaminated water during maintenance or repair actions on the water treatment networks.
Focusing on the Source: Healthcare Facilities
We know that it is not possible to act at the domestic level—especially when the majority of the world’s population is not served by sanitation networks. However, we know that it is possible to contain these contaminations in locations with higher concentrations and a greater probability of contagion.
We are speaking of public and private healthcare units, such as hospitals, clinics, mortuaries, or laboratories, both human and veterinary. This alert led to greater attention being paid to the issue of hospital wastewater treatment, with the elimination of any and all biological risks, a requirement enshrined in various national and European legislation and regulations.
Challenges of Traditional Solutions vs. On-Site Treatment
This problem has been known for a long time. For a long time, attempts have been made to minimize the effect using complicated, high-cost techniques or operations that are difficult to apply. Whether through selective collection and adequate containerization of waters for subsequent specialized treatment, or through steam, chemical, or microwave sterilization processes.
The solution of selective collection and transport is not risk-free, whether in the local handling of potentially contaminated waters or in the subsequent transport—usually by road—of these same waters, with the normal risks of accidents and potential spreading of these waters should such an event occur.
Local (on-site) treatment solutions are much more adequate
Using steam, chemicals, microwaves, or ozone, these solutions imply that the systems must be easy to handle, capable of being integrated into existing infrastructures, must not generate additional constraints for the normal activity of these locations, and must not create extraordinary operational costs for these entities. Furthermore, one must consider, above all, the risks of handling and operation for the responsible technicians, for the collaborators of the institutions in question, and for their users.
However, these difficulties cannot serve as an alibi for the vast majority of hospitals, clinics, mortuaries, and laboratories worldwide to discharge their biologically contaminated wastewater into sanitation networks without any pre-treatment. This is the global reality, which becomes even more severe when the discharge is made directly into the environment.
The European Example and Awareness
In Europe, France is the exception to follow as an example, possessing a public consciousness deeply rooted in the risks of microbiological contamination—France being, after all, the cradle of microbiology. The requirement for pre-treatment solutions, preferably on-site, is the rule and is scrupulously complied with, something unique in the EU scenario.
The argument regarding the dilution phenomenon when we mix contaminated effluents with normal domestic effluents cannot be accepted; a single fortuitous contact, a pipe rupture, or a contaminated splash is enough to put public health at risk.
There is important work to be done in raising the awareness of those responsible in the Health sector, operators, users, and even the general population, to create pressure for the rigorous compliance with legislation.
Conclusion: Total Safety with Simplicity
The advantages are obvious. Public health protection becomes total, starting with health professionals and maintenance teams of buildings associated with healthcare provision.
It is feasible to integrate these systems into existing infrastructures without major alterations , using compact units of small dimensions and low impact, designed precisely for this effect, thereby nullifying the usual obstacles in intervening in old buildings or those with lower accessibility.
The simplicity of operation and, essentially, the low cost of operation and technology, remove any negative criticism from an economic point of view.
This article was written by Eng.º Carlos Oliveira, CEO of VentilAQUA.