The analytical results of LABs found in suspended particles in water and sediments presented in this paper were obtained as part of a comprehensive study on sewage pollution in South and Southeast Asia. The high PLABs concentrations and low I/E ratios found in the sediments from populous cities in tropical Asia clearly indicated high contamination by untreated domestic waste. This paper demonstrated that it is advantageous to use LABs as molecular tracers of sewage contamination because their I/E ratio is indicative of types of sewage discharged into the water. LABs enabled to
understand both quantity- and quality-based assessment of sewage pollution