The threat of communicable diseases is real for everyone who handles or comes in contact with wastewater. Understanding the risks and taking the necessary precautions is the key to protecting yourself.
Since the ebola virus outbreak in West Africa made headlines, many in the wastewater industry have asked about the potential for a variety of communicable diseases to spread through contact with human waste during the cleaning, maintenance and repair of sanitary drain and sewer lines.
Those questions will be answered at the 2015 Water & Wastewater Equipment, Treatment & Transport Show. Dr. Adrianus Vlugman, World Health Organization senior advisor on water, sanitation and environmental health, will speak Feb. 26 at 1 p.m. in Rooms 133-135 at the Indiana Convention Center as part of an extensive series of WWETT Show speakers and seminars.
Vlugman will provide a general overview covering the survival and life expectancy of communicable diseases in water and wastewater. Among other topics, he will cover:
- Safety precautions to consider when handling water and wastewater.
- The likelihood of communicable diseases to be spread or passed through both centralized wastewater plants and decentralized onsite wastewater systems.
- Whether there is a concern for the spread of communicable diseases through land application of properly treated sewage, biosolids or septage.
The talk on the transfer of communicable diseases is free and open to anyone.
If you would like to attend the WHO program, fill out the online registration form at www.wwettshow.com/who.
