About this Research Topic
The use of WBE has many benefits, as it can monitor large populations and has the potential to provide an early-warning platform for spread of diseases or of contaminants. Nevertheless, WBE also holds some limitations. These include the lack of sensitive, fast, and cheap detection methods that are required for establishing WBE as a reliable means for public health assessments. In addition, this monitoring approach requires custom and suitable data analysis and management.
This Research Topic aims to accrue publications aimed at representing important advances in the field of WBE, including those covering identification and monitoring of pathogens such as SARS-COV 2, Hepatitis, Polio, etc., as well as publications identifying the presence of chemical pollutants ranging from pharmaceuticals (and their breakdown products), pesticides, plastics, and petroleum-based products as warning systems regarding human population and environmental health.
Keywords: Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), COVID-19, Public health, population surveillance, pathogen, toxicology
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.