Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40025268›Full record

ArticleJournal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology2025

Air, surface, and wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2; a multimodal evaluation of COVID-19 detection in a built environment.

Andreas Olsen Martinez, Leslie G Dietz, Hooman Parhizkar, Devrim Kaya, Dale Northcutt, Patrick F Horve, Jason Stenson, Michael Harry, David Mickle, Shana Jaaf and 8 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

18 authors.

Andreas Olsen MartinezBiology and the Built Environment Center, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA. andreasmartinez13@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4003-6318
Leslie G DietzBiology and the Built Environment Center, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA.
Hooman ParhizkarInstitute for Health and the Built Environment, University of Oregon, Portland, OR, 97209, USA.
Devrim KayaSchool of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA.
Dale NorthcuttBiology and the Built Environment Center, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA.
Patrick F HorveBiology and the Built Environment Center, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA.
Jason StensonInstitute for Health and the Built Environment, University of Oregon, Portland, OR, 97209, USA.
Michael HarrySchool of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA.
David MickleSchool of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA.
Shana JaafSchool of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA.
Oumaima HachimiSchool of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA.
Casey KanalosSchool of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA.
Isaac MartinottiInstitute for Health and the Built Environment, University of Oregon, Portland, OR, 97209, USA.
Garis BowlesBiology and the Built Environment Center, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA.
Mark FretzInstitute for Health and the Built Environment, University of Oregon, Portland, OR, 97209, USA.
Christine KellySchool of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA.
Tyler S RadnieckiSchool of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA.
Kevin Van Den WymelenbergBiology and the Built Environment Center, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEnvironmental surveillance of infectious organisms holds tremendous promise to reduce human-to-human transmission in indoor spaces through early detection.

objectiveIn this study we determined the applicability and limitations of wastewater, indoor high-touch surfaces, in-room air, and rooftop exhaust air sampling methods for detecting SARS-CoV-2 in a real world building occupied by residents recently diagnosed with COVID-19.

methodsWe concurrently examined the results of three 24-hour environmental surveillance techniques, indoor surface sampling, exhaust air sampling and wastewater surveillance, to the known daily census fluctuations in a COVID-19 isolation dormitory. Additionally, we assessed the ability of aerosol samplers placed in the large volume lobby to detect SARS-CoV-2 multiple times per day.

resultsOur research reveals an increase in the number of individuals confirmed positive with COVID-19 as well as their estimated human viral load to be associated with statistically significant increases in viral loads detected in rooftop exhaust aerosol samples (p = 0.0413), wastewater samples (p = 0.0323,), and indoor high-touch surfaces (p < 0.001)). We also report that the viral load detected in lobby aerosol samples was statistically higher in samples collected during presence of occupants whose COVID-19 diagnostic tests were confirmed positive via qPCR compared to periods when the lobby was occupied by either contact-traced (suspected positive) individuals or during unoccupied periods (p = 0.0314 and <2e-16). SIGNIFICANCE: We conclude that each daily (24h) surveillance method, rooftop exhaust air, indoor high-touch surfaces, and wastewater, provide useful detection signals for building owner/operator(s). Furthermore, we demonstrate that exhaust air sampling can provide spatially resolved signals based upon ventilation exhaust zones. Additionally, we find that indoor lobby air sampling can provide temporally resolved signals useful during short duration sampling periods (e.g., 2-4 hours) even with intermittent occupancy by occupants diagnosed with COVID-19. IMPACT: Our research demonstrates that aerosol sampling can detect COVID-19 positive individuals in a real world lobby setting during very short occupancy periods. We demonstrate the effectiveness of rooftop exhaust aerosol, surface, and wastewater environmental surveillance in monitoring viral load in building occupants, both at the building scale and with ventilation zone-level resolution for aerosols. We provide actionable data for researchers, health officials and building managers who seek to determine which monitoring method is best for their building or study. This study is relevant in the fields of epidemiology, exposure sciences, biomonitoring, virology, public health, and healthy building design and management.

Indexed as

Air MicrobiologyAir Pollution, IndoorBuilt EnvironmentCOVID-19Environmental MonitoringSARS-CoV-2WastewaterAerosolsHumansViral LoadAerosolsWastewaterBuilt EnvironmentCOVID-19SARS-CoV-2SurveillanceVentilationWastewater

Identifiers

PMID40025268
PMCPMC12234356

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.