Andrew Singer

Map of sewage sludge storage sites in England. Red dots mark stores located inside Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) - areas where soils are so saturated with nitrates they cannot absorb additional nitrate from fertiliser, including sewage sludge. Stores are normally located close to where they're used, which indicates sludge is being applied in NVZs. When nitrate is added to saturated soils, it washes off during rain into rivers. When rivers contain too much nitrate or phosphate, this can feed algae, either in the river, or once the water flows out to sea - increasing risk of algal blooms. When the algae grow too much, too fast, they block out light and air in the water causing aquatic creatures like fish to weaken or die. This, in turn, deprives birds & animals that feed on fish or insects from the water, to go hungry. Some algae can be toxic to humans and animals.

Map of sewage sludge stores in England. Red dots are stores located in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) - where the soil contains so much nitrate it cannot absorb any more. Sewage sludge is high in nitrate. When it's added to saturated soils, rain can wash the excess nitrate into rivers. 1/2

You Can Swim in the Seine Again. Trust Me. I Just Did.

You Can Swim in the Seine!

“…the three sites were safe to swim in around 80 to 93 percent of the time based on European standards”

It is possible…keeping the dream alive in the UK

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/05/w...

Public ownership of water in England and Wales is best way to improve industry, people’s commission finds Exclusive: Report says public ownership will mean cheaper bills, less pollution and more investment in infrastructure

Solutions to the ills of the current water sector in the UK are discussed in a new report, worth exploring all the options!
www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Don’t swim? We NEED you!
We're running a health study to find out whether people who swim in UK rivers and lakes get ill more often than those who don’t — and we need non-swimmers for comparison.
Join the study 👉 bit.ly/freshwater-s...

🚨 SWIMMERS & NON-SWIMMERS WANTED!

Take part in a survey about the health risks of freshwater bathing and help inform public health research🏊‍♀️

Take part: bit.ly/freshwater-s...
More info: www.ecehh.org/news/health-...

@exeter.ac.uk @uniofexeternews.bsky.social @oxonandrew.bsky.social

Warning over 'dirty secret' of toxic chemicals on farmers fields Campaigners say that farmers' fields are being contaminated by chemicals and microplastics in sewage sludge.

A real crisis has finally made it from the shadows into the light - what to do with all the sewage sludge we produce if you can't spread it on land anymore? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Bidders demand Thames Water granted immunity over environmental crimes Exclusive: ‘Ransom note’ requests would leave Environment Agency unable to prosecute company or management

Let me see if i have this right:

We pay a company to treat our sewage, but accept without penalty when they dont. Heck, thats a money maker!

www.theguardian.com/business/202...

a woman is eating popcorn while sitting on a couch and says `` the show begins '' . ALT: a woman is eating popcorn while sitting on a couch and says `` the show begins '' .

“It was always going to end this way for two megalomaniacs devoted to fame, money and the far right, neither of whom is unaccustomed to a messy divorce.” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Measles Is Now Showing Up in Wastewater Tracking measles through wastewater is giving health officials a new window into where the virus is spreading.

Not what the world needs

time.com/7290566/wast...

I'm very pleased to share with you a revised paper that presents a consolidated dataset of 8,185 wastewater catchment areas in Great Britain - something that was missing and extremely helpful for Wastewater Based Epidemiology (and other purposes).

essopenarchive.org/users/556109...

NERC Forward Look This document sets out NERC’s medium-term vision for environmental science, providing a framework to guide our investments and partnership decisions.

For those who are interested, here is the strategy doc:

www.ukri.org/publications...

A UK business strategy in a natural environment research council strategy document doesn't feel right.

My version "Do the research that improves the environment and makes it, and humans, more resilient and sustainable."

If needed add: "...especially when it can support economic growth."

Thames Water and Anglian Water face 53 criminal investigations over sewage Firms among England and Wales suppliers facing record 81 investigations as sources say ‘polluter will pay’ for their cost

Finally…some action

“Thames Water and Anglian Water, face more than 50 criminal investigations between them as part of a crackdown on sewage dumping, the government has said. “

www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Wastewater surveillance for assessing human exposure to pesticides: Investigating populations living near flower bulb fields Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) is a complementary approach that overcomes some of the limitations of human biomonitoring, such as sampling biases…

You can do amazing things with wastewater surveillance if you have an awesome analytical environmental chemist on your team!

"Wastewater surveillance for assessing human exposure to pesticides: Investigating populations living near flower bulb fields"
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Variability of Biodegradation Rates of Commercial Chemicals in Rivers in Different Regions of Europe Biodegradation is one of the most important processes influencing the fate of organic contaminants in the environment. Quantitative understanding of the spatial variability in environmental biodegradation is still largely uncharted territory. Here, we conducted modified OECD 309 tests to determine first-order biodegradation rate constants for 97 compounds in 18 freshwater river segments in five European countries: Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, and Greece. All but two of the compounds showed significant spatial variability in rate constants across European rivers (ANOVA, P < 0.05). The median standard deviation of the biodegradation rate constant between rivers was a factor of 3. The spatial variability was similar between pristine and contaminated river segments. The longitude, total organic carbon, and clay content of sediment were the three most significant explanatory variables for the spatial variability (redundancy analysis, P < 0.05). Similarities in the spatial pattern of biodegradation rates were observed for some groups of compounds sharing a given functional group. The pronounced spatial variability presents challenges for the use of biodegradation simulation tests to assess chemical persistence. To reflect the variability in the biodegradation rate, the modified OECD 309 test would have to be repeated with water and sediment from multiple sites.

Loving this paper!

Variability of Biodegradation Rates of Commercial Chemicals in Rivers in Different Regions of Europe | Environmental Science & Technology pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Human norovirus (HuNoV) GII RNA in wastewater solids at 145 United States wastewater treatment plants: comparison to positivity rates of clinical specimens and modeled estimates of HuNoV GII shedders ... Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology - Human norovirus (HuNoV) GII RNA in wastewater solids at 145 United States wastewater treatment plants: comparison to positivity rates...

Impressive study and super useful!

Human norovirus (HuNoV) GII RNA in wastewater solids at 145 United States wastewater treatment plants: comparison to positivity rates of clinical specimens and modeled estimates of HuNoV GII shedders
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Differing terminology used to describe antimicrobial resistance can influence comprehension and subsequent behavioural intent - Communications Medicine Grailey et al. investigate the impact of different terminologies used to describe AMR, testing terms co-designed with the public. Terminology that is familiar, such as the inclusion of ‘antibiotics’ c...

Differing terminology used to describe antimicrobial resistance can influence comprehension and subsequent behavioural intent www.nature.com/articles/s43...

Salmonella isolated from street foods and environment of an urban park: A whole genome sequencing approach Salmonella is one of the most important foodborne pathogens worldwide. Therefore, this study was conducted to understand the importance of this microorganism in street food and the environment of an u...

That's a worrying finding:

"...Salmonella was found in 10% (18/180) of the food samples, 3% (3/100) of the dog stool samples, and 5% (5/100) of the pigeon stool samples."

journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

Really helpful thread.

My take on this is that the origin story is still woolly and that leaves the door open for a counter-narrative which has its place with many people.

Sure, it matters, but at the end of the day, we just need to be vigilant and agree to prepare for the next one.

Feasibility Study: Silicone Wristbands for Measuring Pesticides and Flame-Retardants in Farming Older Men https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.17.25326034v1

Just to say, that’s a photo from over 15 years ago when I was just a toddler…I’m an old balding grey haired guy now…it’s been quite the 15 years! Lol

Effects of Cigarette-Derived Compounds on the Spread of Antimicrobial Resistance in Artificial Human Lung Sputum Medium, Simulated Environmental Media, and Wastewater | Environmental Health Perspectiv... Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and smoking of tobacco products are two of the most important threats to global human health. Both are associated with millions of deaths every year. Surpris...

Interesting study

“…used cigarette filters were colonized by different microbial communities compared with unused filters. Those communities were significantly enriched with potential human pathogens and AMR.”
ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/...

Cultivated meat This POSTnote summarises the challenges and opportunities relating to the production, regulation and consumption of cultivated meat, also known as 'lab grown' meat.

Well that's news to me...fascinating @POSTnote

"...in 2025 the UK became the first European country to sell cultivated meat in pet food"

post.parliament.uk/research-bri...

Drinking pee to improve health is an ancient practice – but the risks outweigh the evidence Urophagia, also known as urine therapy, is the practice of drinking urine. Here’s why the social media health trend is promoted by influencers – but not by doctors.

What the actual F&£k!

theconversation.com/drinking-pee...

Mexico reports its first human H5N1 avian flu case Though no recent poultry outbreaks were reported in that part of Mexico, there were some detections in wild birds.

The first death ever confirmed in Mexico by H5N1 avian influenza. www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influe...

Modelling Escherichia coli concentrations: 45.6% to 78.1% of China’s rivers show poor microbial water quality Water quality is under threat due to the presence of pathogenic and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Escherichia coli (E. coli) serves as an indicator o…

Sewage-sewage everywhere!

"Modelled monthly average E. coli concentrations range from 10^1.2 to 10^6.3 CFU/L"

"Predominant source of E. coli is the direct discharge of faecal waste to rivers"
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

COVID-19 may put patients at risk for other infections for at least 1 year

COVID-19 may put patients at risk for other infections for at least 1 year.

A Lancet study found COVID-19 increases the risk of other infections for a year post-infection, even if mild.

Hospitalised COVID-19 patients face higher risks for other infections than those hospitalised for influenza.

RFK Jr. Expected To Lay Off Entire Office Of Infectious Disease And HIV/AIDS Policy Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the Secretary of Health and Human Services is reportedly laying off the entire Office Of Infectious Disease And HIV/AIDS Policy. Here's the impact

I briefed the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and National Vaccine Advisory Committee on two occassions - I just learned it has been disbanded as of last Friday thanks to RFK and Trump.

Pessimism abounds. www.forbes.com/sites/brucel...

Plastic Teabags Release Billions of Microparticles and Nanoparticles into Tea - PubMed The increasing presence of micro- and nano-sized plastics in the environment and food chain is of growing concern. Although mindful consumers are promoting the reduction of single-use plastics, some m...

My god...this is horrid (new to me)!

"... steeping a single plastic teabag at brewing temperature (95°C) releases approximately 11.6 billion microplastics and 3.1 billion nanoplastics into a single cup of the beverage."

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31552738/

Stealth plasmids: rapid evolution of deleted plasmids can displace antibiotic resistance plasmids under selection for horizontal transmission. Conjugative plasmids carrying antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes are critical for the spread of AMR, due to their ability to transmit horizontally between bacterial hosts. We previously observed tha...

Cool concept...not sure it'll work, but worth a try!

"...within-host plasmid evolution could be exploited to limit the spread of AMR in natural populations of bacteria."

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...