Human disease from aerosols of wastewater is related primarily to:

Human disease from aerosols of wastewater is primarily related to wastewater treatment by the activated sludge process. This method involves the aeration of sewage which maximizes the breakdown of organic materials by aerobic microorganisms. During this process, aerosols can be generated, especially when wastewater is disturbed, and these aerosols can contain pathogens or disease-causing agents. The risk associated with aerosol exposure is a significant concern in settings where treatment processes are not adequately managed or where there is a potential for inhalation of contaminated air.

In contrast, while open sewage systems and aerobic treatment processes also involve the handling of wastewater, they may not contribute to aerosolization to the same extent as the activated sludge process. Open sewage systems pose a variety of health risks mostly due to raw sewage exposure, but they do not directly relate to the aerosols in the same way. Chemical sewer treatment, on the other hand, typically involves the addition of chemicals to disinfect or treat wastewater, which might not directly create aerosols that carry disease pathogens, making it less relevant to this specific issue of aerosolization and disease transmission. Therefore, the activated sludge method stands out as a significant factor in the relationship between wastewater aerosols and human health hazards.