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Environmental and health implications of emerging pollutants in landfill leachate: a review
Summary
Landfills don't just hold trash — the liquid that drains from them (called leachate) can carry a toxic cocktail of drug residues, microplastics, "forever chemicals" (PFAS), and hormone-disrupting compounds into groundwater, soil, and drinking water sources. This review of 50 studies found these pollutants are linked to cancer risk, reproductive harm, and hormone disruption, but most research looks at chemicals one at a time rather than studying the mixture people are actually exposed to. The takeaway: we need better testing methods and stronger regulations to understand — and reduce — the real-world health risks l
Abstract Landfill leachate is a complex byproduct of municipal solid waste disposal and a significant source of emerging pollutants, including pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), microplastics, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), nanoparticles, and other co-occurring contaminants. These substances pose environmental and human-health concerns because of their persistence, mobility, bioaccumulation potential, and toxic effects. This review systematically examined recent literature on emerging pollutants in landfill leachate, with emphasis on environmental contamination, human-health implications, and evidence gaps. A PRISMA 2020-guided search of Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science identified 115 records published between 2015 and 2024; 68 full-text articles were assessed and 50 studies were included in the final synthesis. The findings show that emerging pollutants in landfill leachate are associated with contamination of groundwater, surface water, and soil, with reported effects including ecosystem disruption, endocrine activity, carcinogenic risk, and reproductive toxicity. The review also shows that the evidence base is methodologically heterogeneous and geographically imbalanced, with strong representation from global comparative studies and Asia, but limited primary evidence from many other regions. In addition, most studies assessed pollutants individually, despite landfill leachate functioning as a complex contaminant mixture. The review therefore highlights the need for harmonized monitoring protocols, stronger regulatory frameworks, advanced treatment technologies, and mixture-oriented risk assessment to improve landfill leachate management and better protect environmental and public health.