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International Policies on Emerging Contaminants in Drinking Water
Summary
Microplastics and other emerging contaminants including PFAS, pharmaceuticals, and endocrine disruptors are increasingly detected in drinking water worldwide, yet existing regulatory frameworks and treatment systems were not designed to address them. This chapter reviews international policies across WHO, EU, and USEPA frameworks and identifies critical enforcement gaps that leave populations exposed to these persistent contaminants.
Emerging contaminants are a diverse group of man-made or naturally occurring chemicals that are not commonly monitored in the environment with adverse ecological and human health effects. They are regarded as emerging contaminants because they were initially excluded from regular monitoring and regulatory frameworks. The contaminants exist as personal care products, pharmaceuticals, polyfluoroalkyl substances, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, microplastics, nanomaterials, and industrial chemicals and by-products. They have been reported to originate from different anthropogenic activities such as wastewater discharge, industrial waste disposal, agricultural runoff, and mining. In recent times, they have been detected in drinking water and poses dangers to human health and ecological stability. This chapter provides overview on the various existing emerging contaminants and delineate various policies across the globe which can help to mitigate these substances in drinking water.