About SCORE
Wastewater contains a large number of biomarkers that reflect the health, security, lifestyle and environment of our society
Our mission
Providing a platform for the exchange of expertise and knowledge in the field of wastewater-based epidemiology
Our aim is to harness the valuable information contained in wastewater to support efforts towards improved health and sustainability of our society
What we do
Promote the development and application of wastewater-based epidemiology as a tool to improve human health and sustainability.
Research and development
Development of new methods and technologies for the analysis and interpretation of wastewater data. SCORE members are involved in numerous national and international research projects.
Integration and collaboration
Working with other scientific fields, such as epidemiology and environmental science, to gain a comprehensive understanding of the relationships between wastewater indicators and human and environmental health.
Communication and outreach
Dissemination of research findings and best practices through workshops, conferences, and other outreach activities to expand the community of practitioners and encourage widespread adoption of wastewater-based epidemiology.
Promoting best practice
Through the research that our members carry out, their expertise and the year-long experience with proficiency testing, we formulate guidelines and best practices that organisations involved in wastewater-based epidemiology can follow to ensure that correct and accurate data can be obtained from wastewater analysis.
Laboratory proficiency testing
To guarantee that only high-quality data is used and published, SCORE organises a yearly inter-laboratory exercise in which any interested laboratory can participate for free.
Yearly monitoring campaigns
SCORE has been coordinating a yearly monitoring campaign to assess illicit drug use through wastewater analysis since 2011.
Once a year, SCORE members collect wastewater samples from cities across the world and analyse these to determine amounts of illicit drug markers. Data is then published and provides an overview of illicit drug use across numerous cities in the world. Part of this data is published by the European Centre for Drug and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) in Lisbon.
Photo: KWR, Nieuwegein NL
Who we are
SCORE is built on the voluntary work and commitment of its members, a network of more than 34 organisations from across the world.
Activities of SCORE are coordinated by a smaller group of core member organisations.
Meet the SCORE core team
This is the group of researchers that coordinate the SCORE network
Sara Castiglioni
Unit Head at Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research
Coordinator SCORE network
Lubertus Bijlsma
Researcher at Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I
Deputy coordinator SCORE network
Christoph Ort
Group Leader (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology)
Frederic Béen
Researcher and Theme Coordinator Chemical Safety at KWR Water Research Institute
Jose Antonio Baz Lomba
Researcher at the Environmental Chemistry and Technology department, Norwegian Institute for Water Research
Alexander van Nuijs
Research professor at University of Antwerp, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toxicological Centre
Adrian Covaci
Professor of Environmental and Analytical Toxicology at University of Antwerp, Toxicological Center
Barbara Kasprzyk
Professor in Environmental and Analytical Chemistry, University of Bath
We collaborate with
