A new global initiative will see labs across the world harness wastewater as an early warning system for public health protection.
Global Wastewater Day will bring together scientists, governments, water utilities and public health organisations to use wastewater as an early warning system for future pandemics.
The initiative will coordinate sampling on 31 March 2027, with participating laboratories analysing wastewater to create a synchronised snapshot of health and environmental conditions.
Professor Barbara Kasprzyk-Hordern is director of the University of Bath’s Centre of Excellence in Water-Based Early-Warning Systems for Health Protection and co-chair of Global Wastewater Day.
Kasprzyk-Hordern said: “I am delighted to see this unique initiative moving forward.
“Global Wastewater Day provides an important opportunity to highlight the vital role of Wastewater-Based Epidemiology in protecting public health, safeguarding the environment, and driving sustainable innovation.
“As a powerful tool for monitoring population health and environmental trends, wastewater analysis will deliver actionable insights that support evidence-based decision-making and help build more resilient and sustainable communities worldwide.
“With cutting-edge analytical capabilities we will generate unprecedented insights into population health, including the burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, dietary and nutritional patterns, and exposure to hazardous chemicals, including PFAS.”
Researchers from the University of Bath’s Centre of Excellence in Water-Based Early-Warning Systems for Health Protection and Bangor University launched the project, which already has participation from more than 31 countries.
The programme will analyse wastewater for antimicrobial resistance, pathogens, pharmaceuticals, chemical indicators and other markers of human health.
The project will use wastewater-based epidemiology to generate a synchronised snapshot of global public health.
Professor Davey Jones, professor of environmental science and public health at Bangor University, launched the initiative at the World Water Week conference in Stockholm.
The project is being delivered with the University of Bath, Bangor University, Verily Health, the Global Consortium for Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance for Public Health, the European Commission Joint Research Centre and other scientific and public health organisations.
Researchers aim to use comparable data from communities worldwide to improve disease surveillance, track antimicrobial resistance, assess environmental change and strengthen preparedness for future pandemics.
Kasprzyk-Hordern will oversee the chemical analysis programme, while Professor Julie Barnett, social sciences lead at the centre, has joined the steering committee to coordinate ethical oversight.
Jones said: “Everything we do in society leaves a footprint in our wastewater.
“With Global Wastewater Day we want to harness the information it provides to supercharge public health research across the world, helping us detect emerging threats earlier and build a stronger early-warning system for future pandemics.
“The initiative will enable a global comparison of public health data using standardised methods, while building a long-term resource through annual repeat sampling and an open-access dataset.
“A core principle of the project is accessibility and inclusivity, with a strong emphasis on supporting participation from low- and middle-income countries.”
The longer-term aim is to establish a “Planetary Health Observatory” using wastewater as a routine source of information about the interconnected health of people, animals and the environment.
Organisations and researchers are being invited to register their interest in taking part in Global Wastewater Day.
