Ethical Considerations for Wastewater Surveillance Systems

Welcome to the Course

Photo of a wastewater treatment plant in Colorado

welcome

In this training, we will explore the framework created by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) for Addressing Ethical Considerations in Public Health Wastewater Surveillance (read full text here) and how wastewater surveillance professionals (public health, labs, utilities, and academic partners) can leverage it to ensure equal access to benefits while proactively mitigating risk.

This ASTHO framework was informed by representatives from 23 health departments, academia, utilities, associations, and Tribal health; focus group discussions with subject matter experts; and review of the academic literature, technical reports, policy documents, and relevant ethics frameworks and guidance, including the American Public Health Association (APHA) Public Health Code of Ethics and the World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines on Ethical Issues in Public Health Surveillance.

By the end of this training, you will be able to:

Describe the purpose of Wastewater Surveillance (WWS) and discuss the importance of evaluating wastewater surveillance programs for ethical concerns.
Identify the key public health ethical, governance, and scientific values to consider in the wastewater surveillance context.
Understand three common ethical concerns in wastewater surveillance and how to analyze programs to address these concerns.