Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40411524›Full record

ArticleAnnals of work exposures and health2025

Pepper mild mottle virus as a potential indicator of occupational exposure to airborne viruses in wastewater treatment plants.

Anna Jacobsen Lauvås, Pål Graff, Anani K Afanou, Caroline Duchaine, Marc Veillette, Mette Myrmel, Anne Straumfors

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Annals of work exposures and health, 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

7 authors.

Anna Jacobsen LauvåsDepartment of Occupational Toxicology, National Institute of Occupational Health, Gydas vei 8, Majorstuen 0363, Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0003-4702-6884
Pål GraffDepartment of Chemical Work Environment, National Institute of Occupational Health, Gydas vei 8, Majorstuen 0363, Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0003-4928-617X
Anani K AfanouDepartment of Occupational Toxicology, National Institute of Occupational Health, Gydas vei 8, Majorstuen 0363, Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0001-6140-7312
Caroline DuchaineDépartement de Biochimie, de Microbiologie et de Bio-informatique, Faculté́ des Sciences et de Génie, Université Laval, Pavillon Alexandre-Vachon, 1045 Av. de la Médecine, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-9912-0349
Marc VeilletteCentre de Recherche, Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie-Université Laval, 2725 Ch Ste-Foy, Québec, QC G1V 4G5, Canada.ORCID 0009-0000-0156-0796
Mette MyrmelVirology unit, Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Elizabeth Stephansens v. 15, 1433 Ås, Norway.ORCID 0000-0002-2794-4023
Anne StraumforsDepartment of Occupational Toxicology, National Institute of Occupational Health, Gydas vei 8, Majorstuen 0363, Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0003-1142-1671

Funding

National Institute of Occupational Health in Norway 2021/00056
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Wastewater is a known carrier for human pathogenic viruses, with seasonal variations in concentrations, and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) workers are a potentially overlooked occupational group regarding exposure to secondary aerosolized viruses. Exposure assessment of airborne pathogens is complicated by a lack of universal markers of viruses, no standardized sampling protocol, and challenges in detecting extremely low-abundant targets. In this study, we evaluate the risk of workers' exposure to 4 pathogens, Adenovirus, Norovirus GI and GII, and Influenza A and the Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) as an indicator for aerosolized viruses from wastewater, in 3 WWTPs in the Oslo region, Norway. We collected personal and stationary air samples in summer and winter and used digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) to enable the detection of low-abundant targets. Pathogenic viruses were detected in 22% of all samples, with similar detection rates in personal and stationary samples, with a maximum concentration of 762 genome copies/m3 air. PMMoV was detected in 69% of all samples, with concentrations ranging from 28 to 9703 genome copies/m3 air. The pathogens and PMMoV were most frequently detected at the grids, biological cleansing, sedimentation basins, and sludge treatment/de-watering stations, and were associated with tasks such as flushing, cleaning, and maintenance of the same workstations. Overall, the concentration of pathogens and PMMoV in the air was low, but there is a potential for high point exposure which may pose a risk to workers' health and is increased by the nature of the workers' tasks. PMMoV may be a promising tool for assessing the overall potential for viruses with human waste origin aerosolized from sewage. To strengthen this indicator-based approach to occupational exposure assessment, we recommend validating PMMoV along with other potential indicators. Validation should include evaluating the correlation between these indicators and pathogens in both wastewater and bioaerosols.

Indexed as

Air MicrobiologyAir Pollutants, OccupationalOccupational ExposureTobamovirusWastewaterAdenoviridaeEnvironmental MonitoringHumansInfluenza A virusNorovirusNorwayAir Pollutants, OccupationalWastewaterAdVair samplingbioaerosolddPCRInfANoVPMMoVWWTP

Identifiers

PMID40411524
PMCPMC12208365

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.