Community Forums

fagnaml · 09-23-2021, 06:29 PM

The City of Houston recently developed a dashboard showing the amount of the Covid virus in sewage treatment plants as a means of showing which portions of the city had higher infection rates --> https://covidwwtp.spatialstudieslab.org/

This new data makes me wonder if we RV'ers are exposed the virus when we connect our sewer hoses to an RV park's sewer system hub or connect to a dump station. I have always worn disposable rubber gloves when handling my sewer hose. I'm wondering if I should also wear a mask when connecting the sewer hose to a sewer hub given the city of Houston is finding the live Covid virus in its sewage systems.

What does the forum think?

NXR · 09-23-2021, 06:35 PM

Everybody is finding COVID in the sewage systems if they look. It's been used as an early predictor of coming outbreaks for several month by watching the trend of the levels. Just don't snort the sewer pipes and you'll be fine.

Ray

kdauto · 09-23-2021, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fagnaml

The City of Houston recently developed a dashboard showing the amount of the Covid virus in sewage treatment plants as a means of showing which portions of the city had higher infection rates --> https://covidwwtp.spatialstudieslab.org/

This new data makes me wonder if we RV'ers are exposed the virus when we connect our sewer hoses to an RV park's sewer system hub or connect to a dump station. I have always worn disposable rubber gloves when handling my sewer hose. I'm wondering if I should also wear a mask when connecting the sewer hose to a sewer hub given the city of Houston is finding the live Covid virus in its sewage systems.

What does the forum think?

Using logic, most if not all feces in your unit will be from yourself and your family or band of travelers. If one of you has covid-19 then it is highly likely you all will in such a space, then who cares about catching it "more"?

They've been measuring viral content in sewers for well over a year up here. I don't think you can easily catch the disease via hooking and unhooking dump hoses, but I'd be careful and wear gloves (and a faceshield if you're REALLY clumsy) as I don't think I'd want to get that up close and personal with human waste. My diaper days are over, well, until I get really old maybe.

rk911 · 09-23-2021, 06:42 PM

i think that most humans during the course of their day have the potential to come into contact with or actually do come into contact with all sorts of germs some of which could be a heckuvalot more dangerous than covid. think of all the surgaces we touch during a typical day. sensible precautions...for example, washing your hands after dumping or handling the equipment...makes sense. me? i do what i think is best for me. you do what you think is best for you.

Ljwt330 · 09-23-2021, 06:45 PM

My thoughts.

Odors are not droplets nor are they atomizations, so unless you are exposing yourself to atomized liquid sewage from a dump port, you are not at risk of inhaling virus, assuming it is alive and well and in a high enough concentration to infect at all. Protection from contact with raw sewage and sewage liquids should keep you safe from any possible viral infection.

Dieselgem · 09-23-2021, 06:54 PM

If you are worried you could spay a bleach mixture on and in the top of the inlet. I wear glove because I am more concerned about some of the other nastys.

fagnaml · 09-23-2021, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NXR

Everybody is finding COVID in the sewage systems if they look. It's been used as an early predictor of coming outbreaks for several month by watching the trend of the levels. Just don't snort the sewer pipes and you'll be fine.

Ray

Thanks Ray! Your "snort" comment gave me the best laugh of the day!

And thanks for the other responses. I was just wondering if there were enough "vapors" coming from the sewer hub to worry about when I unscrew the cap.

twogypsies · 09-23-2021, 06:59 PM

The University of Arizona used sewer testing for Covid:

https://west.arizona.edu/news/2020/0...onal-attention

Ray,IN · 09-23-2021, 07:11 PM

Our MH has a soap dispenser in the wet-bay. I removed the soap and now have a large bottle of hand sanitizer in it, that's the last thing I touch after dumping tanks and removing rubber gloves.
DW insists I wear a mask outside the MH due to my health problems, so the only thing exposed are my eyes. Shucks, now I gotta go buy a face shield, she's reading over my shoulder.

NewBlackDak · 09-23-2021, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ljwt330

My thoughts.

Odors are not droplets nor are they atomizations, so unless you are exposing yourself to atomized liquid sewage from a dump port, you are not at risk of inhaling virus, assuming it is alive and well and in a high enough concentration to infect at all. Protection from contact with raw sewage and sewage liquids should keep you safe from any possible viral infection.

If you are exposed to atomized liquid sewage, COVID-19 should be really low on your list of concerns.

followingsea · 09-23-2021, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fagnaml

..... I'm wondering if I should also wear a mask when connecting the sewer hose to a sewer hub given the city of Houston is finding the live Covid virus in its sewage systems.

What does the forum think?

Are you planning on robbing a bank after hooking up your sewer hose?

How about a clown suit or a dress?

That would be amusing!

Mental health is important too. I think camping is fun but if you would like I can list all the pathogenic bacteria in human waste.

Roman legend may not have know about bacteria and viruses but they did know how to set up camp.

Solo_RV_Guy · 09-26-2021, 10:16 AM

Hi Mike-

The quick answer is "it's incredibly unlikely to get Coronavirus infection from any out-gassing from the RV dump station."

Some other charming diseases, maybe... but respiratory virii not so much.

gwill1010 · 09-27-2021, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solo_RV_Guy

Hi Mike-

The quick answer is "it's incredibly unlikely to get Coronavirus infection from any out-gassing from the RV dump station."

Some other charming diseases, maybe... but respiratory virii not so much.

I would bet my life saving that this is impossible. Wearing a mask outside 100s of feet from anyone is just a waste(No pun intended). The misinformation and lack of facts the last 18 months has just been incredible.

Solo_RV_Guy · 09-27-2021, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gwill1010

I would bet my life saving that this is impossible. Wearing a mask outside 100s of feet from anyone is just a waste(No pun intended). The misinformation and lack of facts the last 18 months has just been incredible.

If someone wants to wear a mask outdoors it's fine with me. I grew up in a place where the air was "visible" (polite for "polluted as all get out") . Cough, cough. Had masks been available in 1968 I'd have worn them.

I've learned to never say something is impossible because lurking out there on the interwebs is *one* anecdote that will be used to dispute any such claim... so I don't make such claims.

A greater risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 would come from the "nice person with that dry cough" that helped you at the dump station.