Fluorescence spectroscopy is an optical spectroscopic method that has been applied for the assessment of environmental quality extensively during the last 20 years. Most of the earlier works have used conventional light sources in spectrofluorometers to assess quality. Many recent works have used laser sources of light for the same purpose. The improvement of the energy sources and of the higher resolution spectrometers has led to a tremendous increase in applications. The motivation for the present review study is the increasing use of laser sources in environmental applications. The review is divided in two parts. The fundamental principles of fluorescence spectroscopy are described in the first part. The environmental applications are described in the second part.
Keywords: conventional lamps; environmental quality; fluorescence; laser induced fluorescence; laser sources.