BGS-UKRI briefing note: tryptophan-like fluorescence (TLF) as a rapid in-situ screening tool for assessing faecal contamination risk in groundwater

Faecally contaminated drinking water, a leading
cause of diarrhoeal diseases, is currently
consumed by an estimated 1.8 million people
globally1. Diarrhoeal diseases are a leading cause
of death for children under five years old2,3. The
United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal
(SDG) 6 calls for universal access to safe drinking
water. Groundwater is a major source of drinking
water globally1 – in many regions it is the only
source of drinking water in the dry season – and
faecal contamination of groundwater remains a
major concern.
There is now strong evidence for the suitability of tryptophan-like fluorescence (TLF) for assessing the
risk of faecal contamination in groundwater. TLF provides a robust and rapid in-situ screening tool to
enable more rapid monitoring of drinking water quality to help assess progress towards SDG 6.