Changes in Sewage Sludge Chemical Signatures During a COVID‐19 Community Lockdown, Part 2: Nontargeted Analysis of Sludge and Evaluation with COVID‐19 Metrics

Abstract

Sewage sludge and wastewater include urine and feces from an entire community, and it is highly likely that this mixture contains chemicals whose presence is dependent on levels of SARS‐CoV‐2 in the community. We analyzed primary sewage sludge samples collected in New Haven, Connecticut, USA, during the initial wave of the COVID‐19 pandemic using liquid chromatography coupled with high‐resolution mass spectrometry and performed an exploratory investigation of correlations between chemical features and COVID‐19 metrics including concentrations of severe acute respiratory syndrome–coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) RNA in the sludge and local COVID‐19 case numbers and hospital admissions. Inclusion of all chemical features in this analysis is key for discovering potential indicator compounds for COVID‐19, whose structures may not be known. We found correlations with COVID‐19 metrics for several identified chemicals as well as many unidentified features in the data, including three potential indicator molecules that are recommended for prioritization in future studies on COVID‐19 in wastewater and sludge. These features have molecular weights of 108.0935, 318.1214, and 331.1374. While it is not possible to achieve prediction of COVID‐19 epidemiological metrics from the one data set used in the present study, advances in this research area are important to share as scientists worldwide work on discovering efficient methods for tracking SARS‐CoV‐2 in wastewater and the environment. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;00:1–9. © 2021 SETAC

Changes in Sewage Sludge Chemical Signatures During a COVID‐19 Community Lockdown, Part 1: Traffic, Drugs, Mental Health, and Disinfectants

“…The data described in the present study represent only a small fraction of what was collected using our high‐resolution MS methods. In part 2 of this series, we further investigate chemicals in the sludge that were not easily identifiable using our databases and examine chemical correlations with measured levels of SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA and other COVID‐19 metrics (Nason et al, 2021 ). Because both SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA analysis and liquid chromatography–high‐resolution MS analysis were conducted on the same samples, these complex analyses are an excellent opportunity to identify chemical signals that may provide information about COVID‐19 levels within the community.…”

Energy and water: COVID‐19 impacts and implications for interconnected sustainable development goals

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“… 18 Multiple studies have found evidence of the existence of the COVID‐19 viral load in sewage out of an urban drainage system. 19 Other potential transmission routes include the release of untreated sewage into surface water (such as rivers) and the distribution of traditionally treated gray water as urban recycled water. 9 As a result of this unexpected and unusual event, there is a great deal of uncertainty about what will happen in the future, even though in a post‐COVID situation, the economy, agricultural production, and employment would be the main priorities for politicians.…”

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“…Most studies investigating BOCs have used targeted analyses to identify the presence of specific pollutants. High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS)-based nontargeted and suspect screening analyses are alternative approaches to studying chemical contamination in environmental media. − These methodologies are capable of detecting a broader range of analytes in a sample, including metabolites and environmental transformation products, compared to targeted analyses using lower-resolution MS instruments, and are increasingly being used to study chemical contamination of biosolids, including those produced in the U.S., − Spain, − Nigeria, France, Sweden, and the Arctic …”