Drinking water contaminated with human and animal feces is consumed by at least two billion people worldwide. This pollution is responsible for outbreaks of waterborne diseases that remain common.

Standard approaches to testing water supplies rely on bacteriological indicators of fecal contamination, most commonly thermotolerant coliform bacteria (TTC), and requires use of sterile equipment and culturing techniques to return results in two days, which limits the frequency of water sampling and mean that contamination events can be missed. A faster analytical approach based on fluorescence spectroscopy has been developed and demonstrated by an international research team.

A 14-month field study monitored changes in water quality from 40 sources supplied by groundwater in the town of Lukaya in southern Uganda. TTC concentrations in water samples were determined by Field research was conducted in Uganda. Source: University College Londonapplication of tryptophan-like fluorescence (TLF) and humic-like fluorescence methods. TLF proved the best predictor in logistic regression models of TTC concentrations.

In-situ fluorescence spectroscopy provides an instantaneous assessment of potable water source quality that relates to fecal contamination risk determined by indicator organisms. Contamination risks can now be assessed in real-time and communicated on-site to consumers to reduce exposure.

A paper on the study conducted by researchers from the British Geological Survey, University College London, Makerere University (Uganda) and the U.K. Centre for Ecology & Hydrology is published in Water Research.