Covid Exposure from RV Park Sewer System / RV Dumpstation

[glwinger]

Originally Posted by Dieselgem

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.

The problem with bleach is it can take up to 10 minutes to kill the virus. Single use gloves, mask, in case of a splash, and handwashing is your best bet.

[astrnmrtom]

From what I understand, and I'm certainly no expert, what is being tracked in the sewage isn't "live" virus, it's pieces of virus DNA/RNA. You normally catch the virus from inhaling fresh copies exhaled by another person. That's why you don't get it off surfaces despite the fact the aerosols with the virus can land on a surface.

[Mdb from BC]

Correct!

[astrnmrtom]

The other difference between being around RV sewage dump is there's a big difference between that environment, and being in an enclosed space with an infected person or people. An infected person is a literal virus factory spewing out millions of copies with every breath. If you are in an enclosed space with them, the air can be filled with viral copies. When you dump your RV, it's out in the open, and no huge numbers of "live" virus are being pumped into the air around you. You aren't stewing in a viral soup. Even if there is any viable virus in the sewage, it would have to be in great enough numbers and aerosolized so enough would have the ability to get deep in your lungs. Its the difference between high viral load and low one. Time is another factor. Viral load + time + your personal susceptibility = infection risk. Sitting in a room with an infected person chatting for an hour, vs 10 minutes in the open air dumping your tanks are two extreme ends of the exposure spectrum.

After all, human sewage can be full of all kinds of nasties, and I read over and over again about people saying they don't even bother to wear gloves when dumping. If dumping you RV tank has any significant risk of infection, I think we'd be reading a lot more about people getting sick. But hey, if a person is still concerned, there's nothing wrong with wearing a mask while you dump your tanks.

I do think its a great question though. Inquiring minds want to know.

[dizcom]

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?

Why just COVID? Wouldn't every other disease our fellow campers have also be an issue when draining the tanks? I think if the precautions we've been taking weren't enough, we would have all caught something else long ago. Someone would have noticed that by now. That makes me think that it's no more of a threat because they happen to be looking for it in sewage than anything else, whether they're looking for it or not.

[mickeybitsko]

[Dieselgem]

The biggest danger to RVer's are themselves. There are countless aids posted on this forum over the years since it started. Wear disposable gloves, sanitize your fittings and also any water connection involved. Do not handle your water line or any thing else after handling waste connections. Sanitize your hands after removing gloves, after disposing of gloves. You have more of a chance of catching something flushing a toilet with the seat open. I have done this for years and the only thing that I every caught, was me talking to myself, asking who spread the manure around the dump site.

[D Gardiner]

I believe as RV'ers that we do need to take precautions when handling hazardous waste, such as when we dump the tanks. Using disposable gloves, hand sanitizer, and hand washing. Can't tell you how sick I got this summer from handling the sewer hose. To the hand cleaning, I will add 'Watch where you step with your shoes, and drag it into the RV'.

About 15 years ago, a I asked a infectious disease doctor regarding Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) that was in the news.

With that said MRSA is not a virus, but rather a treatment resistant bacteria.
https://www.cdc.gov/mrsa/index.html

The doctor told me that MRSA is prevalent in the environment, and to use standard precautions, such has hand washing and to keeping my hands out of my face.

My wife is a micro-biologist, with a minor in air and waterborne bacteria (can't think of the scientific name she always says right now), think Legionnaires' disease.

Again, these are bacteria caused illnesses, not viruses, but are very infectious in their own right. They just are not in the news lately.

[mickeybitsko]

Very informative

[CamJam1]

Originally Posted by mickeybitsko

Very informative

I agree. Good thread. Like the OP, I have wondered about this myself when dumping my tanks, especially at a busy dump station.

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by Dieselgem

The biggest danger to RVer's are themselves. There are countless aids posted on this forum over the years since it started. Wear disposable gloves, sanitize your fittings and also any water connection involved. Do not handle your water line or any thing else after handling waste connections. Sanitize your hands after removing gloves, after disposing of gloves. You have more of a chance of catching something flushing a toilet with the seat open. I have done this for years and the only thing that I every caught, was me talking to myself, asking who spread the manure around the dump site.

Almost every time we are traveling I see,normally men, handling the sewer hose and dump station flush water hose, bare handed and if they get something on their hands, wipe them on their pants; saw one man wipe his hands on his Tee shirt, get in his truck and drive away.
Some humans do not know the bacteria that lives in their gut can kill them if introduced back into their body.
I doubt SARS-CoV-2 is easily transmitted back from the sewer system though, it can only survive 5 days without a host.

[TheTravler]

According to the CDC website (https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/sur...veillance.html)

“ People infected with SARS-CoV-2 can shed viral RNA (genetic material from the virus) in their feces, and this RNA can be detected in community wastewater.”

“ While SARS-CoV-2 can be shed in the feces of individuals with COVID-19, there is no information to date that anyone has become sick with COVID-19 because of direct exposure to treated or untreated wastewater.”

[mickeybitsko]

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

Almost every time we are traveling I see,normally men, handling the sewer hose and dump station flush water hose, bare handed and if they get something on their hands, wipe them on their pants; saw one man wipe his hands on his Tee shirt, get in his truck and drive away.
Some humans do not know the bacteria that lives in their gut can kill them if introduced back into their body.
I doubt SARS-CoV-2 is easily transmitted back from the sewer system though, it can only survive 5 days without a host.

That's sick.!

[Dieselgem]

Handling wastewater protocol has not changed. How come this thread continues? Most is redundant and not any new information.