Occurrence, fate and transformation of emerging contaminants in water: An overarching review of the field

Abstract

Many of the products and drugs used commonly contain chemical components which may persist through sewage treatment works (STW) and eventually enter the aquatic environment as parent compounds, metabolites, or transformation products. Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and other emerging contaminants (ECs) have been detected in waters (typically ng/L) as well as more recently bound to sediment and plastic particles (typically ng/g). Despite significant advancement of knowledge since the late 1990s, the fate of these contaminants/transformation products once introduced into the aquatic environment remains relatively unresolved. This review provides a unique focus on the fate of seven major groups of PPCPs/ECs in the aquatic environment, which is frequently not found in similar works which are often compound or topic-specific and limited in background knowledge. Key findings include: a) some replacements for regulation precluded/banned chemicals may be similarly persistent in the environment as those they replace, b) the adsorption of potentially bioactive chemicals to micro- and nanoplastics is a significant topic with risks to aquatic organisms potentially greater than previously thought, and c) micro-/nanoplastics are likely to remain of significant concern for centuries after regulatory limitations on their use become active due to the slow degradation of macro-plastics into smaller components. An interdisciplinary perspective on recent advances in the field is presented here in a unique way which highlights both the principle science and direction of research needed to elucidate the fate and transport patterns of aquatic PPCPs/ECs. Unlike similar reviews, which are often topic-specific, here we aim to present an overarching review of the field with focus on the occurrence, transformation and fate of emerging contaminants. Environmental presence of seven major classes of contaminants (analygesics, antibiotics, antineoplastics, beta-blockers, perfluorinated compounds, personal care products and plasticisers), factors affecting contaminant fate, association with plastic micro-/nanoparticles and photochemical transformation are comprehensively evaluated.

Microplastics and Wastewater Treatment Plants—A Review

“…Summary of significant regulation set on the sale, manufacture and import of products containing plastic microparticles across the world until July 2018, see also: Hurley et al[174] Wilkinson et al[186].…”

Emerging Pollutants–Part I: Occurrence, Fate and Transport

“…EPs are a wide range of substances of emerging concern, priority and persistence, and they generate severe hazards to the environment or toxicity to the human, but many of them lack proper monitoring methods and the process of being regulated is not yet fully understood (Ncibi et al 2017) (Wilkinson et al 2017).…”

“…Hence, many studies paid close attention to the contaminations in rivers and lakes. Wilkinson et al (2017) reviewed the occurrence, fate and transformation of EPs in water, and reported that many types of Eps including pharmaceuticals and PPCPs have been detected in waters with the typically concentration of the ng/L. In Laurentian Great Lakes, a total of 32 chemicals were detected in water samples and their concentrations including flame retardants, alkylphenols and sterols, were ubiquitous across 27 field sites in six Great Lakes watersheds and the total concentration was as high as (Thomas et al 2017 According to the literature reports, several types of PPCPs found in 25 different nations were summarized in detail (Kwon and Lee 2017), and a variety of emerging chemicals of concern from PPCPs, It's worth noting that the concentration of ciprofloxacin, SMX, amoxicillin, norfloxacin, and ofloxacin in Indian wastewater treatment plant were up to 40 times higher than that in other countries in Europe, Australia, Asia and North America.…”

Occurrence and Risk Assessment of Steroidal Hormones and Phenolic Endocrine Disrupting Compounds in Surface Water in Cuautla River, Mexico

“…Results obtained by animal models, human clinical test and epidemiological studies have shown that EDCs have a strong association with several health effects [6]. The EDCs are a broad class of molecules, including pharmaceutical, organochlorinated compounds; components of personal care products with different sources and widespread uses and applications within industrial processes, and farming and agricultural activities; and household items [7]. Accordingly, their occurrence in the environment could be a potential risk for the human health, the survival of populations, the sustainability of the ecosystems and the economy of the countries [8].…”