COVID-19: Inactivation of human coronaviruses in aqueous solutions using UV-C

新型冠状病毒SARS CoV-2（以下简称CoV-2）极有可能通过未经充分处理的水传播。在粪便样本和城市污水中检测到新型冠状病毒。也许更令人担忧的是，在2003年爆发的密切相关的SARS冠状病毒中，有记录显示与污水气溶胶有关的传播。这些观察结果提出了关于加拿大饮用水和废水处理是否充分的关键问题。由于处理过的废水被排放到包括安大略湖在内的娱乐水域，这些问题必须得到解决，以保护公众健康。紫外线（UV）是北美饮用水和废水的主要消毒技术之一，但其对冠状病毒-2的功效尚不清楚。

There is significant potential that the novel coronavirus SARS CoV-2 (herein referred to simply as CoV-2) may be spread through inadequately treated water. The novel coronavirus has been detected by rtPCR in fecal samples and in municipal wastewater. Perhaps more concerning, in the 2003 outbreak of the closely related SARS coronavirus, there was documented transmission associated with sewage aerosols. These observations raise critical questions about the adequacy of treatment for drinking water and wastewater in Canada. Since treated wastewater is discharged into recreational waters including Lake Ontario, these questions must be addressed in order to protect public health. Ultraviolet (UV) is one of the primary disinfection techniques used for drinking water and wastewater in North America, but its efficacy against CoV-2 is unknown. In this work we are proposing to evaluate the susceptibility of coronaviruses. The work is split up into a surrogate stage and a pathogen stage. The surrogate stage will bookend the pathogen stage, with the first part of the surrogate stage preparing to enter the pathogen stage, and the latter part continuing the investigation on a broader panel of coronaviruses. In the first part, solutions containing human coronavirus 229E will be inactivated with different UV doses to obtain dose response curves in the Aucoin Lab at the University of Waterloo. The information on this virus is needed and will not only be used by Trojan but will also be communicated to the Public Health Agency of Canada. Once all protocols are established, testing will be moved to McMaster University, in collaboration with the Miller lab, to evaluate the susceptibility of CoV-2 (pathogen stage). Again this will directly inform the operation of UV reactors that operate across Canada for the treatment of water. In the last part of this project, the susceptibility of other coronaviruses, including OC-43, in different aqueous solutions and in the presence of different soiling agents will be evaluated.