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All Subjects: Wastewater-Based Epidemiology
Creators: Groves, Megan

Methods and devices for evaluating environmental remediation progress and population health

Description

This dissertation critically evaluated methodologies and devices for assessing and protecting the health of human populations, with particular emphasis on groundwater remediation and the use of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) to inform population health. A meta-analysis and assessment of laboratory-scale treatability studies for removing chlorinated solvents from groundwater found that sediment microcosms operated as continuous-flow columns are preferable to batch bottles when seeking to emulate with high fidelity the complex conditions prevailing in the subsurface in contaminated aquifers (Chapter 2). Compared to monitoring at the field-scale, use of column microcosms also showed (i) improved chemical speciation, and (ii) qualitative predictability of field parameters (Chapter 3). Monitoring of glucocorticoid hormones in wastewater of a university campus showed (i) elevated stress levels particularly at the start of the semester, (ii) on weekdays relative to weekend days (p = 0.05) (161 ± 42 μg d-1 per person, 122 ± 54 μg d-1 per person; p ≤ 0.05), and (iii) a positive association between levels of stress hormones and nicotine (rs: 0.49) and caffeine (0.63) consumption in this student population (Chapter 4). Also, (i) alcohol consumption determined by WBE was in line with literature estimates for this young sub-population (11.3 ± 7.5 g d-1 per person vs. 10.1 ± 0.8 g d-1 per person), whereas caffeine and nicotine uses were below (114 ± 49 g d-1 per person, 178 ± 19 g d-1 per person; 627 ± 219 g d-1 per person, 927 ± 243 g d-1 per person). The introduction of a novel continuous in situ sampler to WBE brought noted benefits relative to traditional time-integrated sampling, including (i) a higher sample coverage (93% vs. 3%), (ii) an ability to captured short-term analyte pulses (e.g., heroin, fentanyl, norbuprenorphine, and methadone), and (iii) an overall higher mass capture for drugs of abuse like morphine, fentanyl, methamphetamine, amphetamine, and the opioid antagonist metabolite norbuprenorphine (p ≤ 0.01). Methods and devices developed in this work are poised to find applications in the remediation sector and in human health assessments.

ContributorsDriver, Erin Michelle (Author) / Halden, Rolf (Thesis advisor) / Conroy-Ben, Otakuye (Committee member) / Kavazanjian, Edward (Committee member) / Krajmalnik-Brown, Rosa (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)

Created2018

Monitoring SARS-CoV-2 Through Wastewater-Based Epidemiology and COVID-19 Clinical Testing Data on a Large US University Campus

Description

As the return to normality in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic enters its early stages, the necessity for accurate, quick, and community-wide surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 has been emphasized. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been used across the world as a tool for monitoring the pandemic, but studies of its efficacy in comparison to the best-known method for surveillance, randomly selected COVID-19 testing, has limited research. This study evaluated the trends and correlations present between SARS-CoV-2 in the effluent wastewater of a large university campus and random COVID-19 testing results published by the university. A moderately strong positive correlation was found between the random testing and WBE surveillance methods (r = 0.63), and this correlation was strengthened when accommodating for lost samples during the experiment (r = 0.74).

ContributorsWright, Jillian (Author) / Halden, Rolf (Thesis director) / Driver, Erin (Committee member) / School of Music, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2021-05

Studying phthalates in the built environment using wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) and a materials health investigation using the Health Product Declaration (HPD) Collaborative repository

Description

Phthalates are ubiquitous in the built environment and are used across various fields, despite known endocrine disruptive properties, and other associated health hazards, including abnormalities in reproductive health and development. I investigated the presence of phthalates in the built environment using the Health Product Declaration (HPD) repository to survey for products containing these chemicals, investigated the literature for possible health effects and alternatives to phthalates, and conducted a laboratoy-based feasibility study of urinary biomarkers associated with phthalates using wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) on a US university campus at the building-scale. Of the 5,278 products in the HPD repository, 73 contained phthalates and were most commonly found in windows, doors, flooring, sealants, insulations, and furnishings. Alternative plasticizers (cardanol, epoxidized soybean oil, hydrogenated castor oil) usage were identified in 10 products from HPD repository. The two wastewater samples analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) showed that dimethyl phthalate (DMP) was detectable, as well as its human metabolite, monomethyl phthalate (MMP), observed at a concentration of 163-202 ng/L. These results indicate low human exposure from the building materials in the limited convenience sample investigated. Future studies of building scale wastewater-based epidemiology are recommended to investigate these and other phthalates commonly found in the built environment, including diisononyl phthalate (DINP) and diisononyl hexahydrophthalate (DINCH).

ContributorsGroves, Megan (Author) / Halden, Rolf (Thesis director) / Driver, Erin (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor)

Created2023-05