What's in your water? The growing risk of emerging contaminants
A boy drinks water directly from the tap. Emerging contaminants have become a major global concern due to their ability to cause adverse effects even at very low concentrations. Photo| pool
What you need to know:
- The odourless and colourless water coming out of your tap might not be as innocent as it seems. Instead, it could be a cocktail of pharmaceutical, industrial, and personal care product residuals, commonly referred to as Emerging Contaminants (ECs).
The chemistry of natural waters has long been a subject of study. But with rapid industrialisation and urbanisation, water quality has become more concerning than ever.
The odourless and colourless water coming out of your tap might not be as innocent as it seems. Instead, it could be a cocktail of pharmaceutical, industrial, and personal care product residuals, commonly referred to as Emerging Contaminants (ECs).
The threat lies in the fact that the environmental and human toxicology of most of these compounds have not yet been studied and the fact that many of these compounds are not or cannot be tested for in municipal water systems. Concerningly, they have been identified throughout the hydrological cycle.
A recent study by the University of York found that antibiotic concentrations in some of the world’s rivers exceed safe levels by up to 300 times.
Emerging contaminants (ECs) have become a major global concern due to their ability to cause adverse effects even at very low concentrations. The lack of harmonised procedures for their detection and analysis impedes their regulation.
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are the primary source of emerging contaminants (ECs) entering surface waters. However, these systems, along with septic tanks, were not designed to remove ECs, particularly pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs).
As a result, effluents from these facilities often carry PPCPs into water streams, where they cause harmful genetic and ecological effects on plants, animals, and humans.
Agricultural runoff serves as another pathway for introducing ECs into water. These contaminants are released into the environment as by-products of growing food crops, animal feed, and biofuel crops. The use of pesticides and antibiotics as growth promoters, therapeutics, and prophylactics poses health risks.
Aquatic ecosystems are the most vulnerable from ECs contaminations. Organisms such as fish have had effects that altered their reproduction, growth and even behavioral changes in species due to endocrine disruptors.
The transfer pathways for ECs from the sources to humans are through inhalation, dermal contact, or ingestion of contaminated media.
Concerns regarding pharmaceuticals, especially antibiotics, revolve around the widespread dissemination of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatening human and ecological health worldwide.
It is expected that contamination by ECs will intensify due to the increase of global human population mainly in high-density areas, resulting not only in an increase in the ECs levels but also in the number of ecosystems contaminated.
Lizzel Makokha, a Research Fellow at Global Partners for Development, says, 'We have regulatory gaps that need to be addressed. Some countries have started setting these guidelines but most regulations for emerging contaminants are still under development.
Addressing EC contamination through advanced detection and removal in wastewater treatment plants presents a promising solution. Methods like Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) generate highly reactive hydroxyl radicals to break down ECs into harmless byproducts.
Join the fight for cleaner water. Let’s advocate for stronger EC regulations and support innovative water treatment solutions today.