Emerging Contaminants and the Implications for Drinking Water

Abstract

Advancements in sensitive analytical methods now give scientists the ability to detect trace amounts of chemicals in our water sources and drinking water supplies. As a result, recent studies are revealing the presence of pharmaceuticals, personal care products, fire retardants, nanomaterials, and other substances we use at home and at work. These substances are commonly referred to as “emerging contaminants”. However, the consequences, if any, of exposure to these compounds and their mixtures at low levels is still far from clear. This article gives an overview on a topic that has attracted much media attention and attempts to suggest how the scientific community should handle the knowledge gap.

This article is dedicated to the memory of Laura Fawell.

Acknowledgements

We thank Shaomin Huang for the illustration. This work is partially supported by the School of Public Health and the Environmental Research Institute, NUS.