Epidemiology of Parasitic Contamination in Ship Wastewater: A Cross-Sectional Study in Black Sea Ports

Mykola  Kucherenko; Lina  Kovalchuk; Elena  Bobro; Oleksandr  Oslavskyi; Tatyana  Oslavskaya; Igor  Romanenko; Iryna  Romanenko; Kira  Kompaniiets; Inna  Kovalоva

doi:10.18502/jbe.v11i2.20899

Mykola Kucherenko International Humanitarian University, Odessa, Ukraine.
Lina Kovalchuk International Humanitarian University, Odessa, Ukraine.
Elena Bobro State Institution "South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University named after K. D. Ushynsky", Odesa, Ukraine.
Oleksandr Oslavskyi State Institution "South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University named after K. D. Ushynsky", Odesa, Ukraine.
Tatyana Oslavskaya State Institution "South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University named after K. D. Ushynsky", Odesa, Ukraine.
Igor Romanenko Ukrainian Scientific and Practical Center for Endocrine Surgery, Transplantation of Endocrine Organs and Tissues of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine.
Iryna Romanenko Lugansk State Medical University, Rubizhne, Ukraine.
Kira Kompaniiets Kharkiv National Medical University, Kharkiv, Ukraine.
Inna Kovalоva National Medical University named after O.O. Bohomolets, Kyiv, Ukraine.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jbe.v11i2.20899

Keywords: Parasites; Contamination; Endemic; Marine vessel; Wastewater treatment plan

Abstract

Introduction: The impact of seawater on freshwater systems is well known. However, its role in the transmission of human diseases has not been sufficiently studied. Marine vessels entering tropical countries annually discharge thousands of tons of wastewater into water bodies. Although most vessels are equipped with wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), the lack of regulations governing parasitological control creates significant risks of contamination of water bodies with pathogens causing parasitic diseases.

Methods: Between 2006 and 2011, 489 wastewater samples from WWTP-treated vessels arriving at Black Sea ports in Ukraine from parasitic disease-endemic tropical regions were collected. The samples were analyzed for the presence of tropical helminths and for compliance with the “State Sanitary Rules and Norms for the Discharge of Waste, Oil, Ballast Water and Garbage from Ships into Water Bodies” (July 9, 1997, No. 199). Sampling was conducted in accordance with the guidelines of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA Guidance for Sampling and Analysis of Sludge for POTW Facilities, EPA/833/B-89/100). Wastewater analysis was carried out according to the "Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater" (APHA, 1995), ecological standards, and technologies of the U.S. EPA — Control of Pathogens and Vector Attraction in Sewage Sludge, as well as the U.S. EPA guidance on the sampling and analysis of POTW sludge.

Results: The study results showed that 36.2% (95% CI: 36.1%–36.3%) of the wastewater samples did not meet bacteriological standards, 39.9% (95% CI: 39.8%–40.0%) did not meet chemical standards, and 32.5% (95% CI: 32.4%– 32.6%) of the wastewater samples were contaminated with parasite eggs and cysts.

Conclusion: It has been demonstrated for the first time that the WWTPs of marine vessels arriving from tropical regions, which do not ensure the deworming of wastewater, pose a potential health risk to populations living in coastal areas