Another casualty of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic—the environmental impact

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international 2022-01, Vol.29 (2), p.1696-1711
• Main Authors: Gonçalves, Letícia Rocha, Roberto, Matheus Mantuanelli, Braga, Ana Paula Andrade, Barozzi, Gabriel Bertoletti, Canizela, Giovanna Segati, de Souza Gigeck, Letícia, de Souza, Letícia Rosa, Marin-Morales, Maria Aparecida
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acoustics; Amines; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Biogenic amines; Cadaverine; Cadavers; Carcinogens; Cemeteries; Contaminants; Contamination; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Decomposition; Disease transmission; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental impact; Environmental Pollutants - analysis; Environmental science; Fatalities; Government agencies; Groundwater; Humans; Leachates; Medical personnel; Pandemics; Putrescine; Review; Review Article; SARS-CoV-2; Scientific papers; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Soil contamination; Soil water; Surface water; Surface-groundwater relations; Viral diseases; Viruses; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Websites
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-17098-x

Cemetery leachate generated by the process of cadaveric decomposition is a significant contaminant of several matrices in the cemetery environment (soil, groundwater, and surface water). The biogenic amines cadaverine and putrescine stand out among the cemetery leachate contaminants, since they are potentially carcinogenic compounds. This review article presents a discussion of possible environmental impacts caused by the increase in deaths resulting from COVID-19 as its central theme. The study also aims to demonstrate the importance of considering, in this context, some climatic factors that can alter both the time of bodily decomposition and the longevity of the virus in the environment. Additionally, some evidence for the transmission of the virus to health professionals and family members after the patient’s death and environmental contamination after the burial of the bodies will also be presented. Several sources were consulted, such as scientific electronic databases (NCBI), publications by government agencies (e.g., ARPEN, Brazil) and internationally recognized health and environmental agencies (e.g., WHO, OurWorldInData.org), as well as information published on reliable websites available for free (e.g., CNN) and scientific journals related to the topic. The data from this study sounds the alarm on the fact that an increase in the number of deaths from the complications of COVID-19 has generated serious environmental problems, resulting from Cemetery leachate.