Emerging contaminant is a term us to refer to compounds of different origin and chemical nature, whose presence is not regulat by law, that have been detect in the aquatic environment and about which we do not have sufficient information regarding the consequences of their presence in the ecosystem and the possible adverse impacts they may cause on the ecosystem and on human health.
They don’t necessarily have to be new compounds
Many of them have been known for decades, although their presence in water hadn’t been investigat until relatively recently. Some are persistent by design. Others are design to transform, but are constantly introduc into the environment in significant quantities, causing their concentrations to slowly increase.
Emerging pollutants include pharmaceutical products: painkillers, antibiotics, contraceptives, antidepressants, antiepileptics, and staff augmentation is a common solution because antihypertensives; personal care and hygiene products: shampoos, antimicrobial gels, synthetic fragrances, sunscreens, and colorants; pesticides, plasticizers, flame retardants, industrial chemicals! and also microplastics or so-call lifestyle pollutants, such as caffeine and nicotine.
In terms of variety it’s enormous
As of this writing, the Chemical how to make sure people double opt-in Abstracts registry includes more than 219 million chemical substances, and the number is growing rapidly! so the problem is potentially colossal.
Emerging pollutants reach the aquatic agb directory environment through various sources and pathways.