
Saint John’s Preparatory School Student Work
Document Type
Paper
Publication Date
11-1-2024
Advisor
Kelly Fitch & Sarah Pasela
Abstract
The Covid-19 pandemic changed the world in a number of ways. One of the most drastic changes took place in government handling of public health. Because of the extremely short timeframe in which policy makers needed to make decisions, wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) became imperative to understanding the spread of Covid-19. As the world recovers from the pandemic, WBS is still being utilized, although for different purposes. Substance use, the spread of other diseases, and even specific genetic information can all be tracked through wastewater, leaving a series of moral questions up for debate. Although WBS is still a relevant asset to the understanding of public health, personal data should be scrambled before researchers analyze wastewater in order to protect personal freedoms and privacy. Governments should enact policies to mandate the use of human read scrubbers, limit specific personal data from being analyzed, and ensure strong security measures before furthering the applications of WBS.
Recommended Citation
St. Hilaire, Elizabeth, "Know before you go: How did the rise of Wastewater-Based Surveillance during the Covid-19 pandemic change the privacy of today's public in the United States, and is government action ethically necessary?" (2024). Saint John’s Preparatory School Student Work. 7.
https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/sjp_students/7