A new study says COVID-19 could be spread to whales and other marine mammal through improperly treated sewage and wastewater.

Researchers at Dalhousie University in Halifax say while there have been no documented cases to date, both dolphins and beluga whales have been infected with related coronaviruses in the past.

Studies have shown the virus is excreted in feces and can survive in water for up to 25 days, raising the possibility that wastewater could spread the disease — as has happened in Spain, Italy and France, where the virus was detected in untreated sewage.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2020.