Integrated global assessment of <i>Escherichia coli</i> emissions from wastewater treatment plants.

ABSTRACT: Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are critical for mitigating anthropogenic contaminants, yet their effectiveness in controlling waterborne pathogens has not been assessed globally. This study presents the first global assessment of Escherichia coli (E. coli) emissions from 58,502 WWTPs across 188 countries and territories, utilizing a CatBoost machine learning model based on actual data from 230 facilities. Our results reveal pervasive E. coli contamination in global WWTP effluents, with a median concentration of 3.83 log Most Probable Number (MPN)/100 mL (range: 0-5.86 log MPN/100 mL), and 78.3% of WWTPs exceeding 3 log MPN/100 mL, particularly in Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia. The primary driver of this contamination is insufficient disinfection covera

SUBMITTER: Li W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12805344 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature