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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerges to scientific research and monitoring of wastewaters to predict the spread of the virus in the community. Our study investigated the COVID-19 disease in Bratislava, based on wastewater monitoring from September 2020 until March 2021. Samples were analyzed from two wastewater treatment plants of the city with reaching 0.6 million monitored inhabitants. Obtained results from the wastewater analysis suggest significant statistical dependence. High correlations between the number of viral particles in wastewater and the number of reported positive nasopharyngeal RT-qPCR tests of infected individuals with a time lag of 2 weeks/12 days (R2 = 83.78%/R2 = 52.65%) as well as with a reported number of death cases with a time lag of 4 weeks/27 days (R2 = 83.21%/R2 = 61.89%) was observed. The obtained results and subsequent mathematical modeling will serve in the future as an early warning system for the occurrence of a local site of infection and, at the same time, predict the load on the health system up to two weeks in advance.

Waterborne pathogens including viruses, bacteria and micropollutants secreted from population can spread through the sewerage system. In this study, the efficiency of unique effervescent ferrate-based tablets was evaluated for total RNA and DNA removal, disinfection and degradation of micropollutants in hospital wastewater. For the purpose of testing, proposed tablets (based on citric acid or sodium dihydrogen phosphate) were used for various types of hospital wastewater with specific biological and chemical contamination. Total RNA destruction efficiency using tablets was 70–100% depending on the type of acidic component. DNA destruction efficiency was lower on the level 51–94% depending on the type of acidic component. In addition, our study confirms that effervescent ferrate-based tablets are able to efficiently remove of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from wastewater. Degradation of often detected micropollutants (antiepileptic, antidepressant, antihistamine, hypertensive and their metabolites) was dependent on the type of detected pharmaceuticals and on the acidic component used. Sodium dihydrogen phosphate based tablet appeared to be more effective than citric acid based tablet and removed some pharmaceuticals with efficiency higher than 97%. Last but not least, the disinfection ability was also verified. Tableted ferrates were confirmed to be an effective disinfectant and no resistant microorganisms were observed after treatment. Total and antibiotic resistant bacteria (coliforms and enterococci) were determined by cultivation on diagnostic selective agar growth media.

The research aims at washing processes as possible sources of microplastics, specifical microfibers in wastewater, and the behavior of the virus particles SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater after the washing process as well as their ability to sorb to the surface of microfibers, released from washing processes. The conclusions of the research point to the ability of the virus to attach to possible solid impurities such as textile fibers (microfibers) occurring in the sewer and to the ability of wash water to influence their possible occurrence in the sewer. The highest efficiency (more than 99%) of removal virus particles was after washing process, using liquid washing powder, and washing soda. These findings may gradually contribute to a better understanding of the behavior of the virus particles in the sewer.

The outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) raises questions about the effective inactivation of its causative agent, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in medical wastewater by disinfectants. For this reason, our study of wastewater from a selected hospital evaluated several different advanced oxidation methods (Fenton reaction and Fenton-like reaction and ferrate (VI)) capable of effectively removing SARS-CoV-2 RNA. The obtained results of all investigated oxidation processes, such as ferrates, Fenton reaction and its modifications achieved above 90% efficiency in degradation of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in model water. The efficiency of degradation of real SARS-CoV-2 from hospital wastewater declines in following order ferrate (VI) > Fenton reaction > Fenton-like reaction. Similarly, the decrease of chemical oxygen demand compared to effluent was observed. Therefore, all of these methods can be used as a replacement of chlorination at the wastewater effluent, which appeared to be insufficient in SARS-CoV-2 removal (60%), whereas using of ferrates showed efficiency of up to 99%.

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The excessive worldwide production of plastic materials results in omnipresent microplastic pollution. Scientific studies dealing with the impacts of microplastics on aquatic ecosystems focus mainly on the marine environment, documenting the effect on the functional traits of various organisms. Polystyrene, one of the most commonly used plastics, has become a widely used model in this respect. In our study, freshwater shrimps (Neocardina heteropoda) were exposed to virgin polystyrene particles (size 0.5 mm; nominal concentration 8 mgL−1), and their behavioral and physiological responses were compared to control shrimp. The exposed shrimps exhibited modified activity patterns (greater speeds, accelerations and distances moved), accompanied by a lowered standard metabolic rate (SMR). The observed effects differed in their progression from the 7th to 14th day of exposure, from undetectable changes (distance, SMR) to significant differences (speed, acceleration). Significant differences were also detected in the behavioral syndromes expressed by the exposed and controlled shrimps, indicating that the microplastics influence not only the particular traits, but also their functional relationships. As such, our study contributes to the integration of behavioral ecotoxicology in risk assessment, documenting the adverse performance of freshwater invertebrates exposed to microplastics with the potential to transpose the problem to higher levels of the food web.

COVID-19 pandemic caused by β-coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 emerges to intensive scientific research and monitoring of wastewaters because of their possible important role in identifying and early warning of a spread of the virus in the community. In our study, we investigated the prevalence of the COVID-19 disease in the population of the capital city of Slovakia, Bratislava, based on wastewater monitoring from September 2020 until March 2021. Samples were analyzed from two major wastewater treatment plants of the city with reaching nearly 0.6 million monitored inhabitants. Obtained results from the wastewater analysis suggest significant statistical dependence. High correlations between the number of viral particles in wastewater and the number of reported positive nasopharyngeal RT-qPCR tests of infected individuals with a time lag of 2 weeks / 12 days (R2 = 83.78% / R2 = 52.65%) as well as with a reported number of death cases with a time lag of 4 weeks / 27 days (R2 = 83.21% / R2 = 61.89%) was observed. The obtained results and subsequent mathematical modeling will serve in the future as an early warning system for the occurrence of a local site of infection and, at the same time, predict the load on the health system up to two weeks in advance.