What constitutes a “special period”? Taking the recent, ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as an example: to win this battle against the epidemic and prevent further harm to the population, relevant authorities have intensified wastewater monitoring at hospitals. This does not imply that water quality monitoring is neglected when specific instruments are unavailable; rather, such monitoring may be less precise without dedicated equipment.

So, during such special periods, are the key parameters for online medical wastewater monitoring different from usual? What are they? In fact, the monitored parameters remain largely similar. While standards and specific parameters may vary depending on the type of hospital, the following items are commonly monitored in medical facilities: Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Residual Chlorine, Coliform Bacteria, and Ammonia Nitrogen. Among these, COD and Ammonia Nitrogen are routine indicators found not only in medical wastewater but also in industrial and domestic sewage.

Total Residual Chlorine reflects the degree of disinfection. Since chlorine-based disinfectants are commonly used in medical wastewater treatment, dechlorination is often required before discharge. Monitoring equipment must strictly control total residual chlorine levels to prevent excessive chlorine release.

Another critical indicator is Coliform Bacteria, a common marker in medical wastewater primarily originating from fecal contamination. Staff utilize instruments such as the WECT-900 Online Coliform Analyzer to monitor coliform levels in real-time, assess disinfection effectiveness, and enable timely corrective actions.

Furthermore, it is essential to promptly feedback monitoring data to relevant personnel to ensure medical wastewater meets discharge standards during these special periods (though compliance is equally required under normal circumstances). Data should also be shared timely with health commission departments to provide reference support for epidemic control efforts.

In Summary, It Is Crucial To:

• Strengthen monitoring of medical wastewater and urban sewage.
• Enhance monitoring of drinking water source bodies, adding residual chlorine and biological toxicity (as characteristic epidemic prevention indicators) to routine testing parameters.
• Reinforce monitoring and early warning systems.
• Conduct comprehensive environmental air and surface water quality monitoring.
• Improve emergency monitoring plans.
• Fully safeguard ecological and environmental safety throughout the epidemic prevention and control period.