Managing the complexity of emerging contaminants in aquatic environments: exploring their ecotoxicological impacts, detection techniques, and the use of innovative technologies for their remediation

Emerging contaminants present serious risks to both human health and the environment. Pesticides, heavy metals, antibiotics, plasticizers, pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs), and nanomaterials are a few of the noteworthy pollutants in the water. Over the past 20 years, the presence of emerging contaminants in aqueous environmental compartments worldwide has become a major concern for our societies because some of these chemicals are known to be endocrine disruptors, while others are proven carcinogens and mutagens. Since it's uncertain how harmful chemicals may be to wildlife and human health, there is a lot of debate and worry about their existence in aquatic habitats in general and novel substances in particular. The development of sophisticated treatment technologies is imperative in light of the pressing global concern of effectively reducing dangerous organic contaminants in wastewater. While substantial knowledge exists about legacy pollutants, emerging contaminants continue to pose new threats to human health and the environment. These threats are increasingly being identified thanks to ongoing advancements in toxicology and analytical technologies. These developments make it possible to comprehend the origins, persistence, potential for bioaccumulation, movement, and toxicity of these pollutants better, underscoring the necessity of ongoing management and observation. The review article aims to present the problem of water pollution and the presence of emerging contaminants in the water bodies, their ecotoxicological effects on nature and wildlife, their detection technologies, along the need for the development of sophisticated technology for the removal of the emerging contaminants from the water.