May 21, 2024

Wastewater & Public Health

There has been a lot of recent reporting of people becoming unwell from swimming in open water contaminated by sewage.

A new National Engineering Policy Centre report, commissioned by Prof Sir Chris Whitty and led by the Royal Academy of Engineering, examined the interventions that could reduce the public health risk from rivers, lakes and the sea that may be polluted by faecal organisms from human waste.

How does our wastewater system work?  Where are the risks and what should be prioritised?  Which interventions are effective and what needs to be done?

Journalists came to this briefing to hear from the authors of the report and put your questions to them.

Speakers included:

Prof David Butler FREng FICE FCIWEM, Professor of Water Engineering, University of Exeter

Prof Barbara Evans MCIWEM, Professor of Public Health Engineering, University of Leeds

Dr Andrew Thompson FIChemE, Head of UK Water, Fingleton White

Prof Sir Chris Whitty FRS FMedSci, Chief Medical Officer for England and Chief Medical Adviser, HM Government