Occurrence of Emerging Contaminants in the Environment Causes and Effects

Emerging contaminants or Contaminants of Emerging Concerns (CECs) represent the new class of contaminants that, in the past, were not considered contaminants. The definition of CECs is still under debate. Many researchers consider that they are naturally occurring and manufactured or man-made chemicals or materials that were recently discovered or suspected that are present in several environmental matrices and present relevant toxicological aspects. These include pesticides, pharmaceutical products, personal care products, microplastics, etc. CECs are significant concerns because they affect aquatic organisms, fish, and humans. CECs, mainly are of anthropogenic origins, detected in water, air, soil, and organisms. It is important to study their occurrence, causes, and effects to address this challenge. Therefore, the present chapter will provide a general outlook in microplastics: occurrences, causes, and effects. However, special attention will be directed to microplastics: causes, effects, and occurrence because these CECs represent a hot topic in the scientific community, and the toxicological aspects of these CECs in organisms are still under investigation.