Emerging Contaminants in Trans-American Waters

Abstract Industrial development has made new products available to people to make their lives easier. Items such as food, cleaning, personal care and health products, among others, are processed, sold and consumed daily by all age groups. These products include in their formulation inorganic and organic chemicals with the purpose of improving or increasing some of their properties, making them more attractive to the consumer. These substances are strictly controlled during production so that the final product may be safely consumed. In most cases, the constituents of commercial products end up in wastewater, where they are not controlled. These uncontrolled pollutants of differing chemical natures are known as “Emerging Contaminants” (ECs). Research worldwide has found ECs in various environmental matrices, especially water. To understand this problem, four fundamental aspects must be addressed: 1) the analytical methods for its determination; 2) the occurrence in environmental matrices; 3) the treatments for the removal of ECs in wastewater and drinking water plants; and 4) the risks to health and the environment. This document reviews these four aspects with regard to 14 ECs commonly found in the studies around the world and addresses the state of these ECs in trans-American waters.

摘要：工业发展为人们推出了各类便捷生活的新产品。食品、清洁用品、个人护理用品及健康产品等各类物品，每日经加工、售卖并被全年龄段人群消费使用。此类产品的配方中添加有无机与有机化学品，用于优化或增强其部分性能，提升对消费者的吸引力。生产环节会对这些物质实施严格管控，保障最终产品可安全供人消费。但在多数场景下，商用产品的组分最终会进入废水，且未受到任何管控。这些化学性质各异、未受管控的污染物，被称为"新兴污染物（Emerging Contaminants，ECs）"。全球范围内的研究已在各类环境介质中检出ECs，尤以水环境中居多。为厘清该问题，需从四个核心维度展开研究：其一，污染物的检测分析方法；其二，其在各类环境介质中的赋存状况；其三，污水处理厂与饮用水处理厂中针对ECs的去除工艺；其四，其对人体健康与生态环境的风险。本综述针对全球研究中常见的14种ECs，对上述四个维度展开梳理，并探讨了这些ECs在美洲全域水域中的分布现状。