Health Risks and Economic Opportunities of Practices Reusing Wastewater in Agriculture: An Overview

Abstract

The practice of reusing wastewater in agriculture is widespread all over the world. However, there are also raised concerns regarding these practices that may cause negative impacts on human health and the environment. The overall objective of this literature review is to synthesize current evidence and possible future knowledge on health risks and economic opportunities associated with wastewater reuse practices in agriculture, the basic design of this study focusing on a literature review of the 10 open-access studies published in the ScienceDirect database over the past five years, from 2020 to 2025. And it highlights two subjects: "Health Risks", which is the scope of the excreted pathogens (bacteria, viruses, and parasites) and their contamination pathways into the food chain via irrigated crops. And "Economic Opportunities", which is the scope of nutrient provisioning that enhances crop yield. The results of this literature review conclude that practices reusing untreated or partially treated wastewater in agriculture cause increased loads of pathogens. While advanced treatment can produce safe treated wastewater in agriculture. However, the high economic cost of advanced treatment often renders them impractical in low-income countries. To satisfy health targets beside those related to excreta diseases, there must be an integration of realistic treatment levels, stringent regulatory frameworks, farmer education, and targeted crop selection. All these procedures are considered very important to maximize the economic opportunities of reusing wastewater in agriculture and human health safety and environmental protection.