COVID-19 and Airplane Wastewater

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is in discussion with airlines about testing airplane and airport sewage to detect COVID-19. Airplane sewage can provide a unique set of data potentially detecting new COVID-19 variants that are coming into the United States (US) and where they originated. The wastewater found in airplanes has a higher solid-to-waste ratio than in homes and local sewer systems where other wastewater circulates.

Ongoing surveillance of sewer systems around homes and buildings has been in effect since September 2020 to identify COVID-19 outbreaks in certain regions and communities. Currently, there are around 1,250 sites in the US that are performing testing. 80% of homes are connected to a large sewer system where testing helps to identify existing or emerging pathogens and enables community leaders the opportunity to provide targeted disease testing sites, vaccination locations, and public awareness where the highest concentration of disease is located.

Not every virus will be detected, especially novel diseases, which have never been seen before. Airplane wastewater testing may help prevent or stop the spread of potentially threatening viruses and pathogens.

The Atlantic reports “Airplane-wastewater testing is poised to revolutionize how we track the coronavirus’s continued mutations around the world, along with other common viruses such as flu and RSV—and public-health threats that scientists don’t even know about yet.”

References:
https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/wastewater-surveillance/index.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/cdc-talking-airlines-wastewater-testing-planes-reports-rcna66567
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2023/01/cdc-test-airplane-bathroom-wastewater-covid-tracking/672893/