Human health risk assessment for the occurrence of enteric viruses in drinking water from wells: Role of flood runoff injections

The Science of the Total Environment
Costantino MasciopintoMaria Teresa Montagna

Abstract

We demonstrated that floods can induce severe microbiological contamination of drinking water from wells and suggest strategies to better address water safety plans for groundwater drinking supplies. Since 2002, the Italian Water Research Institute (IRSA) has detected hepatitis A virus, adenovirus, rotavirus, norovirus, and enterovirus in water samples from wells in the Salento peninsula, southern Italy. Perturbations in the ionic strength in water flow can initiate strong virus detachments from terra rossa sediments in karst fractures. This study therefore explored the potential health impacts of prolonged runoff injections in Salento groundwater caused by severe flooding during October 2018. A mathematical model for virus fate and transport in fractures was applied to determine the impact of floodwater injection on groundwater quality by incorporating mechanisms that affect virus attachment/detachment and survival in flowing water at microscale. This model predicted target concentrations of enteric viruses that can occur unexpectedly in wells at considerable distances (5-8 km) from the runoff injection site (sinkhole). Subsequently, the health impact of viruses in drinking water supplied from contaminated wells was estimated ...Continue Reading

Citations

Jul 25, 2020·Water Environment Research : a Research Publication of the Water Environment Federation·Sudarshan KurwadkarAmita Nakarmi
Sep 30, 2020·Pathogens·Giuseppina CaggianoMaria Teresa Montagna
Nov 1, 2020·Food and Environmental Virology·Leera Kittigul, Kannika Pombubpa
Jan 28, 2021·Food and Environmental Virology·Nicole S UpfoldCaroline Knox

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