Potential Health Risks Associated with Particles in Reclaimed Wastewater
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 135, Issue 5
Abstract
Human dose-response data from seven pathogens commonly associated with waterborne illness were used in conjunction with acceptable levels of risk specified by the United States EPA to determine an allowable particle limit for reclaimed water assuming varying degrees of pathogen association. Assuming particles contain a single pathogen, particle limits ranged from 213,000 particles/L for E. coli ETEC to 400 particles/billion L for rotavirus. Particle concentrations in the effluent from nine reclamation facilities that employed advanced filtration exceeded calculated allowable particle limits for one or more pathogens despite achieving permitted water quality standards. Hence, current methods of estimating particle densities (e.g., turbidity and suspended solids) and indicator organisms are potentially incongruent with acceptable levels of risk specified by the United States EPA. The significance of this incongruence is dependent on the uncertain frequency of pathogen association with wastewater particles.
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Acknowledgments
The writers would like to thank Dr. Timothy Ginn and Dr. Hakan Basagaoglu for the reviews and comments during the preparation of this manuscript. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Nos NSF0072427 and NSF9972817. This work was also supported by the NSF Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) program in the Center for Multiphase Environmental Research at Washington State University under Grant No. NSFDGE-9972817. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding agency.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 135 • Issue 5 • May 2009
Pages: 285 - 290
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: May 13, 2008
Accepted: Sep 11, 2008
Published online: May 1, 2009
Published in print: May 2009
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