Sewage study to check on Covid locations

RESEARCHERS are going to test the levels of coronavirus in sewage and wastewater in order to identify where new outbreaks of the virus are occurring.

Irish Water confirmed to the Irish Mail on Sunday that it had been approached by a number of research institutes with a view to testing levels of coronavirus in wastewater, in order to head off a potential second wave of the disease. And researchers in Trinity College Dublin have received funding from the college for a rapid response project on the area.

TCD environmental scientist Jan Knappe said: ‘We will work with Dublin City Council and Irish Water to run a pilot study using wastewater-based epidemiology for detecting viral disease outbreaks such as Covid or flu in the city.’

Researchers in a number of countries including the UK and the Netherlands are carrying out similar projects.

Irish Water said: ‘Monitoring for Covid in either treated or untreated wastewaters or ambient waters is not being undertaken, primarily as the risk of transmission via these sources is deemed very low by both the WHO and Centre for Disease Control,’ a spokesman said.

‘However, Irish Water has been approached by a number of research institutes and we have indicated that we will support any such research. We also are reviewing emerging knowledge and research in this area.’