Researchers at UC Berkeley are using a simple and effective method for detecting the presence of the Coronavirus in wastewater flowing through municipal sewer systems. Water testing will assist public policymakers to determine where and how to implement COVID-19 prevention and treatment plans.
Wastewater testing, also known as "wastewater quality indicators," is a broad term for the various test methodologies used to measure water quality. These tests investigate the physical, chemical, and biological properties of wastewater. Wastewater naturally collects waste from hundreds to even millions of people in a single sample. By drawing a representative sample of wastewater and analyzing it, you can gain a tremendous amount of information that you would likely not be able to achieve by testing people individually.
The amount of viral matter in wastewater from a community could reveal the prevalence of COVID-19 in the population. This information can trigger the necessary mitigation initiatives and response plans, such as individual testing, contract tracking, and quarantine. It also allows for collecting data on a cross-section of the population, allowing for the monitoring of public health solutions for large groups. However, it is challenging to detect tiny virus particles in the wastewater that flows through our sewage pipes, considering it includes toilet water and sink water, shower water, and everything else that goes down the drain. Teledyne ISCO is leading the way in the use of automatic samplers for gathering wastewater to identify virus evidence in sewage.
Teledyne ISCO is a leading manufacturer and supplier of rugged, dependable field-portable instruments for water quality monitoring. Their automatic sampler readings analyze the characteristics and presence of the Coronavirus in parts per million quantities, which, when compared to population numbers in a geographic area, aids in determining the presence and amount of virus in the wastewater.
The above-referenced UC Berkeley videos provide a real-life example of how the Teledyne ISCO water sampler collects wastewater for COVID-19 analysis. In this video, samples are gathered from their University Village and sewers draining from UC Berkeley's undergraduate dormitories and surrounding neighborhoods.
The full video link is here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwsRUw4y_dU.
The full article outlining UC Berkeley's initiative is here.
For more information about Teledyne ISCO samplers used for Covid detection in Florida, contact Instrument Specialties, Inc. Call 407-324-7800 or visit https://isisales.com.
