## 3 Results
### Risk Characterization  
Table 2 displays the DALYs per person per year as well as the upper and lower 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the risk scenarios based on the irrigation type and period between irrigation and consumption using North Carolina Type 2 reclaimed water. It is important to note that the calculation of risks for _Cryptosporidium_ and _Giardia_ spp. are based on microscopic protozoan counts (not on infectivity data) and, despite accounting for infectivity in the QMRA model, the risk may be overestimated. Additionally, the US EPA method 1623 does not differentiate between human infectious species and all species of _Cryptosporidium_ and _Giardia_, which may also result in an overestimation of human health risks. However, for adenovirus, the fraction of infectious viruses was determined by integrated cell culture-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (ICC-qPCR) and should estimate the infection risk of exposure in these exposure scenarios. In order to obtain risk characterizations, a health-based target was specified as a DALY loss of \(<\)10\({}^{-6}\) per person per year through waterborne exposure by potable reuse water, as recommended by the World Health Organization [5]. SI, which involves the use of sprinklers to distribute reclaimed water onto the land surface, which then either evaporates into the air, deposits on crops or soaks into the soil, causes a large number of airborne particles to come into contact with crop surfaces and the ground, resulting in a large amount of contamination if microorganisms remain in irrigation water and come in contact with the produce. According to this analysis, the DALYs associated with this irrigation method are relatively high compared to DI and SDI. The protozoan parasites had DALYs greater than the acceptable level of 10\({}^{-6}\) per person per year, with average levels of 8.74 \(\times\) 10\({}^{-5}\) for _Cryptosporidium_ and 3.44 \(\times\) 10\({}^{-4}\) for _Giardia_. The DALYs for _Salmonella_ were also greater than the acceptable level with an average of 7.49 \(\times\) 10\({}^{-6}\) (95% CI 5.07 \(\times\) 10\({}^{-7}\) for 8.93 \(\times\) 10\({}^{-5}\)). In contrast, the average DALY for adenovirus was 1.15 \(\times\) 10\({}^{-9}\) (95% CI 4.98 \(\times\) 10\({}^{-10}\) to 2.64 \(\times\) 10\({}^{-9}\)), indicating that there is little DALY risk due to adenovirus at this acceptable risk level. In DI, water is delivered directly to the root zone of a plant, where it seeps into the soil. It is expected that less direct contact with plant surfaces will result in less plant contamination and a lower annual risk of infection from microbial contaminants. Based on these results, the annual microbial risks of infection are lower than those estimated for SI. For this type of irrigation, the DALYs for adenovirus (3.66 \(\times\) 10\({}^{-11}\), 95% CI 7.25 \(\times\) 10\({}^{-12}\) to 1.28 \(\times\) 10\({}^{-10}\)), and _Salmonella_ spp. (DALY of 2.25 \(\times\) 10\({}^{-7}\)) were less than the acceptable level, while the DALYs for _Cryptosporidium_ and _Giardia_ were greater than the acceptable DALY risk levels of 1 \(\times\) 10\({}^{-6}\), at 2.76 \(\times\) 10\({}^{-6}\) and 1.26 \(\times\) 10\({}^{-5}\), respectively. SDI involves the use of embedded pipes or tubing to irrigate crops, typically in rows or fields. As this method involves even less contact with the surface of the plant, [PERSON] et al. (1991) proposed that there may be even less contamination risk associated with this type of irrigation than with DI or SI ([PERSON] et al., 2018). In this study and for all pathogens examined, with the exception of _Giardia_, the DALYs were less than the acceptable level. The DALY for adenovirus was 3.63 \(\times\) 10\({}^{-12}\) (95% CI 6.92 \(\times\) 10\({}^{-13}\) to 1.28 \(\times\) 10\({}^{-11}\)), the DALY for Salmonella spp.