Laboratory for Hydrology: 200 years of safeguarding public health

What was the background to the creation of the Nancy Laboratory for Hydrology and how has it developed?

Sophie Lardy-Fontan: Our laboratory dates back to 1824, following the founding of the Royal Academy of Medicine in 1820. The King's order creating the Academy describes its missions related to water as follows: "to respond to requests from the government on all matters relating to public health, and primarily on [...] natural or artificial [sic] mineral waters." It was therefore responsible for examining applications for authorisation to exploit natural mineral waters, particularly for therapeutic use. The need to regularly and consistently subject water to chemical analysis, which was at the time the only objective criterion capable of verifying compliance, prompted the Academy to appoint a head to the chemistry laboratory. 

Over the years, the laboratory's missions have evolved to stay abreast of the challenges, while maintaining a focus on monitoring and studying water quality. Historically based in Paris, the laboratory moved to Nancy in 2002, at the heart of a supportive academic ecosystem.

What are the laboratory's current missions?

Our laboratory is a recognised player in health and monitoring schemes for water. It is responsible for water safety regardless of how it is used: drinking water, natural mineral water, recreational water and wastewater. Through its missions, it has created and maintained an organisational and methodological framework for producing robust high-quality data on biological and chemical contaminants in water. These data are used to support human and environmental health policies, including in crisis management situations. As an example, our laboratory was one of the organisations called on during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Its missions are reflected in the national reference laboratory mandates entrusted to us by the ministries. For example, our laboratory has a national reference mandate for drinking water, natural mineral water and recreational water, covering both chemical hazards and microbiological agents. This means that we work to improve knowledge of the origin, occurrence and fate of chemical and biological contaminants, including emerging threats. We mainly achieve this through national campaigns and specific studies, but also through research on these contaminants. At the same time, we coordinate the national network of approved laboratories for water quality monitoring, to ensure that they are fully proficient in the analysis methods they use. We are also involved in the development and updating of guidelines and standards on water.

In 2021, we were entrusted with new missions, through a reference mandate for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater and sewage sludge. Our aim was to set up an epidemiological surveillance network for wastewater. We develop methods for detecting pathogens, initially the SARS-COV-2 virus and now other agents, and transfer them to the laboratories responsible for water monitoring.

Lastly, our laboratory provides ongoing technical and scientific support to the national and regional authorities, particularly in the event of a health crisis.

How does the laboratory intend to continue monitoring water quality in the future?

Water security, in terms of both quantity and quality, could be called into question in the future, mainly due to climate change and ageing infrastructure. It is essential to be able to monitor the impacts of these changes on water resources, in the various ecosystems and socio-cultural environments, as well as the resulting health effects, in order to develop an effective response. Against this backdrop of rapid change in the scientific and health environment, resource constraints and ever-growing societal demands, we need to conduct high-level research and reference activities that are directly useful to public action in safeguarding health, and do so at an even earlier stage.