Delivering healthy water: building the science-policy interface to protect bathing water quality

英国洗澡沃茨的质量是通过在整个洗澡季节计数被称为粪便指示生物（FIO）的细菌来评估的。用于收获贝类的沃茨也受到FIO的监测。E.大肠杆菌是一种常见的FIO，来源于温血动物的肠道，是无害的，但在环境样品或贝类肉中检测到它表明可能存在来自粪便材料的致病微生物。如果在指定的海水浴场和贝类收获沃茨检测到其含量超过欧盟指令规定的标准，可能导致海滩关闭或贝类种群被列为不适合人类食用，因此可能对当地经济和社会活动以及人类健康产生严重影响。从2012年起，英国微生物状况不佳的海滩数量将会上升，因为欧洲修订后的《游泳沃茨指令》引入了更严格的标准。满足这些新标准并避免违规（以及由此产生的经济后果）将是一项挑战。然而，关于传统量化方法与新型量化方法的适用性的平行辩论为监管机构增加了额外的复杂性。最近，美国已经开始考虑将基于分子的计数工具作为“久经考验”的替代方法，尽管这种方法依赖于我们培养细菌的能力。这可能会导致英国面临更大的压力，要求其也考虑方法上的转变。然而，随着新方法的迅速出现，如何最好地将技术创新转化为最新的监管成为困难的决定。由于尖端科学为微生物检测和计数提供了新的和更有效的技术，因此需要对这些方法的操作效用进行平衡评估，因为目前这些方法具有相关的局限性和不确定性。例如，虽然分子方法提供了快速的细菌计数，但它们还没有被适当地评估用于监管监测目的，并且关于它们在游泳区中的微生物计数的精确度和准确度存在很大的不确定性。如果不仔细评估，同样的创新科学实际上可能会带来负面的社会和经济影响，如果匆忙实施，因为对新技术和新兴技术如何映射到现有的健康相关水质标准的理解不足。随着越来越严格的标准越来越近，科学用户和提供者不赌博的方法过渡，可能会增加进一步的复杂性，英国的合规记录是至关重要的。一个工作组（WG）关注新兴的定量分子工具的微生物水质合规参数已经形成了响应这一挑战。该工作组汇集了来自学术、监管和利益相关者组织的专家，以建立一个知识共享社区。工作组将利用一系列研讨会，并借鉴更广泛的国家和国际专门知识，建立一个商定的证据基础，以支持和指导未来的中短期决策。将通过三个主题研讨会询问分子工具，重点是（i）分子工具的基础科学和技术;（ii）它们为流域管理提供信息的潜力;（iii）它们的经济影响。工作组的成员已经协调一致，向世界卫生组织（负责修订欧洲洗澡水指令）通报项目的产出和建议。保护公众健康是一个优先事项。通过确保微生物水质监管和管理的科学基础是透明的和彻底的评估，我们可以保证采取必要的步骤，通过减少洗澡和贝类消费的微生物风险来造福公众健康。

The quality of UK bathing waters is assessed by enumerating bacteria known as faecal indicator organisms (FIOs) throughout the bathing season. Waters used to harvest shellfish are monitored for FIOs too. E. coli is a common FIO derived from the gut of warm blooded animals and is harmless, but its detection in environmental samples or shellfish flesh indicates the potential for the presence of disease causing microbes derived from faecal material. Their detection at designated bathing and shellfish harvesting waters at levels above standards specified within EU directives can lead to beach closures or shellfish stocks being classed as unfit for human consumption and can therefore have serious implications for local economies and social activity as well as human health. From 2012 the number of UK beaches of poor microbiological status is set to rise because of the introduction of more stringent standards associated with the revised Bathing Waters Directive in Europe. Meeting these new standards and avoiding infraction (and therefore economic consequences) will be a challenge. However, parallel debates over the suitability of traditional versus novel quantification methods add an extra layer of complexity for regulators to grapple with. Recently the US has begun to consider molecular-based enumeration tools as an alternative to 'tried and tested' albeit slower methods that rely on our ability to grow bacteria. This is likely to lead to increased pressure in the UK to consider a methodological shift too. However, with the emergence of rapid novel approaches come difficult decisions for how best to translate technological innovation into up-to-date regulation. As cutting edge science delivers new and more efficient technologies for microbial detection and enumeration there comes a requirement for balanced evaluation of such approaches with regard to their operational utility given their associated limitations and uncertainties at current time. For example, while molecular approaches provide rapid bacterial counts they have yet to be properly evaluated for regulatory monitoring purposes and there is much uncertainty regarding their precision and accuracy for microbial enumeration in the bathing zone. Without careful evaluation the same innovative science could actually bring about negative societal and economic impacts if implemented in haste due to poor understanding of how new and emerging techniques map onto existing health-related water quality standards. With more stringent standards drawing ever closer it is critical that science users and providers do not gamble with a methodological transition that could add further complications to the UK's compliance record.A Working Group (WG) concerned with emerging quantitative molecular tools for microbial water quality compliance parameters has been formed in response to this challenge. The WG brings together experts from across academic, regulatory and stakeholder organisations to build a knowledge-sharing community. Using a workshop series, and drawing on wider national and international expertise, the WG will build an agreed evidence base to underpin and guide future decision-making in the short to medium term. Molecular tools will be interrogated via three themed workshops focusing on (i) the underlying science and technology of molecular tools; (ii) their potential to inform catchment management; and (iii) their economic impact. Members of the WG are already aligned to inform the World Health Organisation (which has been responsible for the development of revisions to the Bathing Water Directive for Europe) of outputs and recommendations from the project. Protecting public health is a priority. By ensuring that the science underpinning regulation and management of microbial water quality is transparent and thoroughly evaluated we can guarantee that the necessary steps are taken to benefit public health through reduced microbial risk from bathing and shellfish consumption.