Traffic, Drugs, Mental Health, and Disinfectants: Changes in Sewage Sludge Chemical Signatures During a COVID-19 Community Lockdown

The COVID-19 pandemic and related shutdowns have caused changes in everyday activities for many people, and signs of those changes are present in the chemical signatures of sewage sludge produced during the pandemic. We analyzed primary sewage sludge samples from a wastewater treatment plant in New Haven, CT USA collected between March 19 and June 30, 2020. This time period encompassed the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the initial statewide stay at home order, and the first phase of reopening. We used liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry and targeted and suspect screening strategies to identify contaminants in the sludge. We and found evidence of increasing opioid, cocaine, and antidepressant use, as well as upward trends in chemicals used in disinfectants and sunscreens during the study period. Benzotriazole, an anti-corrosion chemical associated with traffic pollution, decreased through the stay-at-home period, and increased during reopening. Hydroxychloroquine, a drug that received significant attention for its potential to treat COVID-19, had elevated concentrations in the week following the implementation of the United States Emergency Use Authorization. Our results directly relate to nationwide reports of increased demand for fentanyl, antidepressants, and other medications, as well as reports of increased drug overdose deaths during the pandemic. Though wastewater surveillance during the pandemic has largely focused on measuring SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations, chemical analysis can also show trends that are important for revealing the public and environmental health effects of the pandemic.

Download Full-text

Traffic, Drugs, Mental Health, and Disinfectants: Changes in Sewage Sludge Chemical Signatures During a COVID-19 Community Lockdown

10.26434/chemrxiv.13562525.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sara Nason ◽

Elizabeth Lin ◽

Brian D. Eitzer ◽

Jeremy P. Koelmel ◽

Jordan Peccia

Keyword(s):

Sewage Sludge ◽

High Resolution Mass Spectrometry ◽

Treatment Plant ◽

The United States ◽

The Public ◽

Chemical Signatures ◽

Time Period ◽

Screening Strategies ◽

Antidepressant Use ◽

At Home

The COVID-19 pandemic and related shutdowns have caused changes in everyday activities for many people, and signs of those changes are present in the chemical signatures of sewage sludge produced during the pandemic. We analyzed primary sewage sludge samples from a wastewater treatment plant in New Haven, CT USA collected between March 19 and June 30, 2020. This time period encompassed the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the initial statewide stay at home order, and the first phase of reopening. We used liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry and targeted and suspect screening strategies to identify contaminants in the sludge. We and found evidence of increasing opioid, cocaine, and antidepressant use, as well as upward trends in chemicals used in disinfectants and sunscreens during the study period. Benzotriazole, an anti-corrosion chemical associated with traffic pollution, decreased through the stay-at-home period, and increased during reopening. Hydroxychloroquine, a drug that received significant attention for its potential to treat COVID-19, had elevated concentrations in the week following the implementation of the United States Emergency Use Authorization. Our results directly relate to nationwide reports of increased demand for fentanyl, antidepressants, and other medications, as well as reports of increased drug overdose deaths during the pandemic. Though wastewater surveillance during the pandemic has largely focused on measuring SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations, chemical analysis can also show trends that are important for revealing the public and environmental health effects of the pandemic.

Download Full-text

CHARLES DICKENS DESCRIBES HIS IMPRESSION OF THE CHILDREN AT THE PERKINS INSTITUTION FOR THE BLIND

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.66.3.365 ◽

1980 ◽

Vol 66 (3) ◽

pp. 365-365

Author(s):

T. E. C.

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Charles Dickens ◽

The United States ◽

Public Institutions ◽

The Public ◽

Favorable Impression ◽

Personal Appearance ◽

The Town ◽

At Home

In his American Notes, published in 1843, Dickens vividly described his six months' visit to the United States between January and June 1842. None of the public institutions that he visited made a more favorable impression on him than the Perkins Institution for the Blind, located in Boston. He wrote: I went to see this place [the Perkins Institution] one very fine winter morning: an Italian sky above, and the air so clear and bright on every side, that even my eyes, which are none of the best, could follow the minute lines and scraps of tracery in distant buildings. Like most other public institutions in America, of the same class, it stands a mile or two without the town, in a cheerful, healthy spot; and is an airy, spacious, handsome edifice. The children were at their daily tasks in different rooms, except a few who were already dismissed, and were at play. Here, as in many institutions, no uniform is worn; and I was very glad of it, for two reasons. Firstly, because I am sure that nothing but senseless custom and want of thought would reconcile us to the liveries and badges we are so fond of at home. Secondly, because the absence of these things presents each child to the visitor in his or her own proper character, with its individuality unimpaired—not lost in a dull, ugly, monotonous repetition of the same unmeaning garb, which is really an important consideration. The wisdom of encouraging a little harmless pride in personal appearance even among the blind, or the whimsical absurdity of considering charity and leather breeches inseparable companions, as we do, requires no comment.

Download Full-text

Studying Public Perception about Vaccination: A Sentiment Analysis of Tweets

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17103464 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (10) ◽

pp. 3464 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Viju Raghupathi ◽

Jie Ren ◽

Wullianallur Raghupathi

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Sentiment Analysis ◽

Public Perception ◽

Ebola Virus ◽

Herd Immunity ◽

The United States ◽

The Public ◽

Time Period ◽

Document Frequency ◽

Measles Outbreak

Text analysis has been used by scholars to research attitudes toward vaccination and is particularly timely due to the rise of medical misinformation via social media. This study uses a sample of 9581 vaccine-related tweets in the period 1 January 2019 to 5 April 2019. The time period is of the essence because during this time, a measles outbreak was prevalent throughout the United States and a public debate was raging. Sentiment analysis is applied to the sample, clustering the data into topics using the term frequency–inverse document frequency (TF-IDF) technique. The analyses suggest that most (about 77%) of the tweets focused on the search for new/better vaccines for diseases such as the Ebola virus, human papillomavirus (HPV), and the flu. Of the remainder, about half concerned the recent measles outbreak in the United States, and about half were part of ongoing debates between supporters and opponents of vaccination against measles in particular. While these numbers currently suggest a relatively small role for vaccine misinformation, the concept of herd immunity puts that role in context. Nevertheless, going forward, health experts should consider the potential for the increasing spread of falsehoods that may get firmly entrenched in the public mind.

Download Full-text

The PING Project: Using Ecological Momentary Assessments to Better Understand When and How Woodland Owner Group Members Engage with Their Woodlands

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11090944 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 944

Author(s):

Emily S. Huff ◽

David B. Kittredge

Keyword(s):

Public Goods ◽

Real Time ◽

The United States ◽

Forest Owner ◽

Family Forest ◽

The Public ◽

Time Period ◽

Group Members ◽

Ecological Momentary Assessments ◽

Ecological Momentary

Research Highlights: Ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) are a fresh approach to measuring behavior by querying the subject in real time. Typical studies of FFO behavior use self-reported survey data. FFOs across the United States collectively own more forested land than any other ownership category, and their actions will impact the public goods these forests provide. Thus, better measures of FFO actions are critical to understanding how these public goods may be affected. Background and Objectives: In this pilot study, we evaluated the potential of ecological momentary assessments to understand family forest owner (FFO) engagement with their woods. We sought to test recruitment, attrition, and participant reaction to the method. Materials and Methods: FFOs belong to woodland owner associations were sent the same questions weekly for a month, asking about woodland engagement. Results: Nearly 90% of participants completed all four surveys and the majority found the method reasonable. Most participants thought about their woods weekly, but a longer time period is needed to measure temporal management trends. Conclusions: This approach may yield real-time and useful information about natural resource engagement to inform conservation-based programming and outreach.

Download Full-text

Covering COVID: Journalists’ Stress and Perceived Organizational Support While Reporting on the Pandemic

Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly ◽

10.1177/10776990211015105 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 107769902110151

Author(s):

Gretchen Hoak

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Organizational Support ◽

Perceived Organizational Support ◽

The United States ◽

Work Commitment ◽

The Public ◽

Support Theory ◽

Female Journalists ◽

News Organizations ◽

At Home

The COVID-19 pandemic forced unprecedented changes upon journalists in the United States as they attempted to cover the story while adhering to the same stay-at-home orders as the rest of the public. This study used organizational support theory to investigate the stress associated with the logistics of coverage early in the pandemic and how perceived organizational support played a role in either alleviating or adding to that stress. In total, 222 journalists responded to a survey sent out during the first few weeks of the stay-at-home orders issued across the United States. Results revealed varying degrees of logistical support provided by news organizations with nearly one quarter receiving no supplies, technology, or extra training at all. Greater perceived organizational support was associated with lower levels of stress and higher levels of work commitment. Female journalists and those who were younger and less experienced felt significantly more stress associated with pandemic coverage.

Download Full-text

Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Substance Use Disorder Treatment: Findings from a Survey of Specialty Providers in California

Substance Abuse Research and Treatment ◽

10.1177/11782218211028655 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

pp. 117822182110286

Author(s):

Kristen Henretty ◽

Howard Padwa ◽

Katherine Treiman ◽

Marylou Gilbert ◽

Tami L Mark

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Addiction Treatment ◽

The United States ◽

Public Health Emergency ◽

Access Barriers ◽

The Public ◽

Treatment Providers ◽

Public Health Emergencies ◽

Need To Evaluate ◽

At Home

Background: As the coronavirus pandemic public health emergency begins to ebb in the United States, policymakers and providers need to evaluate how the addiction treatment system functioned during the public health emergency and draw lessons for future emergencies. One important question is whether the pandemic curtailed the use of addiction treatment and the extent to which telehealth was able to mitigate access barriers. Methods: To begin to answer this question, we conducted a survey of specialty addiction treatment providers in California from June 2020 through July 2020. The survey focused specifically on provider organizations that served Medicaid beneficiaries. Results: Of the 133 respondents, 50% reported a decrease in patients since the stay-at-home order in March 2020, with the largest decline among new patients, and 58% said more patients were relapsing. Eighty-one percent of providers said that telemedicine use had increased since the stay-at-home order. Most said that telemedicine had moderately (48%) or completely (30%) addressed access barriers. Conclusion: More efforts are needed to ensure that patients, and in particular new patients, receive addiction treatment during public health emergencies.

Download Full-text

Guidance concerning chiropractic practice in response to COVID-19 in the U.S.: A summary of state regulators' web-based information

10.21203/rs.3.rs-29243/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Shawn M Neff ◽

Christopher B Roecker ◽

Casey S Okamoto ◽

Samuel L Holguin ◽

Jason G Napuli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Local Governments ◽

Best Practice ◽

The United States ◽

The Public ◽

Single Location ◽

Chiropractic Practice ◽

State And Local ◽

License Renewal ◽

At Home

Abstract Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic led to unprecedented changes, as many state and local governments enacted stay-at-home orders and non-essential businesses were closed. State chiropractic licensing boards play an important role in protecting the public via regulation of licensure and provision of guidance regarding standards of practice, especially during times of change or uncertainty. Objective: The purpose of this study was to summarize the guidance provided in each of the 50 United States, related to chiropractic practice during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: A review of the public facing websites of governors and state chiropractic licensing boards was conducted in the United States. Data were collected regarding the official guidance provided by each state’s chiropractic licensing board as well as the issuance of stay-at-home orders and designations of essential personnel by state governors. Descriptive statistics were used to report the findings from this project. Results: Each of the 50 state governor’s websites and individual state chiropractic licensing board’s websites were surveyed. Stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders were issued in 86% of all states. Chiropractors were classified as essential providers in 54% of states, non-essential in one state (2%), and no guidance was provided in the remaining 44% of all states. Fourteen states (28%) recommended restricting visits to only urgent cases and the remaining states (72%) provided no guidance. Twenty-seven states (54%) provided information regarding protecting against infectious disease and the remaining states (46%) provided no guidance. Twenty-two states (44%) provided recommendations regarding chiropractic telehealth and the remaining states (56%) provided no guidance. Seventeen states (34%) altered license renewal requirements and eight states (16%) issued warnings against advertising misleading or false information regarding spinal manipulation and protection from COVID-19.Conclusion: State guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic was heterogenous, widely variability in accessibility, and often no guidance was provided by state chiropractic licensing boards. Some state chiropractic licensing boards chose to assemble guidance for licensees into a single location, which we identified as a best practice for future situations where changes in chiropractic practice must be quickly communicated.

Download Full-text

How Available is Phosphorus from Sewage Sludge Incinerator Ash?

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-10042 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Persephone Ma ◽

Carl Rosen

Keyword(s):

Sewage Sludge ◽

Natural Resource ◽

Food System ◽

Treatment Plant ◽

The United States ◽

Ion Exchange Resin ◽

Application Rate ◽

Twin Cities ◽

Soil P ◽

P Sources

The Twin Cities (Minneapolis and Saint Paul) of Minnesota (MN) in the United States incinerate sewage sludge for energy.&#160; Every day at the Metropolitan Wastewater Treatment Plant, 650 million liters of wastewater are converted to an average of 5 MW of power and 32 MT of ash (SSA).&#160; This ash is currently landfilled at a cost to taxpayers but contains 13% phosphorus (P), a limited natural resource required for all living things.&#160; While some have reported that the P in this ash is unavailable for plant uptake, a previous greenhouse study of Twin Cities ash demonstrated that this SSA, as is, could be a safe and available source of P for corn and lettuce.&#160; To follow up, we conducted three years of corn and soybean field studies from 2016-2019 in Rosemount, MN comparing various rates (0 to 180 kg P2O5/ha) of untreated SSA to equivalent rates (based on citrate soluble P) of triple superphosphate, a conventional P-only fertilizer, and two other residual products - Class A EQ (exceptional quality) biosolids and commercially available struvite.&#160; Our objectives were to describe and compare responses from SSA and other P sources to assess the feasibility of SSA as an alternative agricultural fertilizer.&#160; Response variables included harvest yield and plant and soil concentrations of P and other metals of concern.Our results indicated that SSA as a soil amendment provided comparable amounts of P as the other P sources.&#160; Final 2019 harvest yields in plots amended with SSA or any P source were significantly higher than control plots that had no P applied.&#160; In 2017 and 2018, P uptake increased with increasing application rate, regardless of P source.&#160; Similar trends were found within Bray-P and Olsen-P soil tests, which assess available soil P, and within buried ion exchange resin soil probes.&#160; Except for copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), no metal of concern was found to have increased significantly in either plant material or the soil.&#160; Soil concentrations of Cu and Zn, but not plant concentrations, increased significantly with increasing rate in plots amended with biosolids and SSA but below levels dangerous to the environment or human health.&#160; Taken together, we believe untreated SSA has the potential to be a safe and viable source of P and an additional option for returning a valuable natural resource to our food system.

Download Full-text

Changes to Chiropractic Practice in Response to COVID-19: a survey of all 50 United States

10.21203/rs.3.rs-29243/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Shawn M Neff ◽

Christopher B Roecker ◽

Casey S Okamoto ◽

Samuel L Holguin ◽

Jason G Napuli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Local Governments ◽

Best Practice ◽

The United States ◽

Individual State ◽

The Public ◽

Single Location ◽

Chiropractic Practice ◽

State And Local ◽

At Home

Abstract Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic led to unprecedented changes, as many individual state and local governments enacted stay-at-home orders and nonessential businesses were closed. State chiropractic licensing boards play an important role in protecting the public via regulation of licensure and provision of guidance regarding standards of practice, especially during times of change or uncertainty. Objective The purpose of this study was to summarize the guidance provided in each of the 50 United States, related to chiropractic practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A review of the public facing websites of Governors and state chiropractic licensing boards was conducted for each of the United States. Data was collected regarding the official guidance provided by each state’s chiropractic licensing board as well as the issuance of stay at home orders and designations of essential personnel by state Governors. Descriptive statistics were used to report the findings from this project. Results Each of the 50 state Governor’s websites and individual state chiropractic licensing board’s websites were surveyed. Stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders were issued in 86% of all states. Chiropractors were classified as essential providers in 54% of states, non-essential in one state (2%), and no guidance was provided in the remaining 44% of all states. Fourteen states (28%) recommended restricting visits to only urgent cases and the remaining states (72%) provided no guidance. Twenty-seven states (54%) provided information regarding protecting against infectious disease and the remaining states (46%) provided no guidance. Twenty-two states (44%) provided recommendations regarding chiropractic telehealth and the remaining states (56%) provided no guidance. Seventeen states (34%) altered license renewal requirements and eight states (16%) issued warnings against advertising misleading or false information regarding spinal manipulation and protection from COVID-19. Conclusion Individual state guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic was heterogenous, widely variability in accessibility, and often no guidance was provided by state chiropractic licensing boards. Some state chiropractic licensing boards chose to assemble guidance for licensees into a single location, which we identified as a best practice for future situations where changes in chiropractic practice must be quickly communicated.

Download Full-text