Emerging contaminants, or contaminants of emerging concern, can refer to many different kinds of chemicals, including medicines, personal care or household cleaning products, lawn care and agricultural products, among others. These chemicals make it into our Nation's lakes and rivers and have a detrimental affect on fish and other aquatic species. That have also been shown to bioaccumulate up the food web - putting even non-aquatic species at risk when they eat contaminated fish. The USGS monitors and assesses these dangerous chemicals from their source all the way through the food web.
Featured Study: Pharmaceuticals in Groundwater
There are few pharmaceuticals and hormones in groundwater used for drinking, finds a new USGS study. Groundwater in areas with fractured rocks most vulnerable to pharmaceutical contamination.
Featured Study: Chemical Mixtures in Small U.S. Streams
Mixtures of organic chemicals are ubiquitous in small U.S. streams, reports a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey. In many streams the mixtures could be affecting stream organisms.
BACKGROUND
Since the 1990s studies around the country have investigated how a wide range of chemical compounds, industrial pollutants, and human by-products have been making it into our Nation's waterways. Traditionally, most people were not overly concerned about this because the old mantra used to be "dilution is the solution to pollution" However, this is far from true. After the contaminants make it into the rivers and streams, tests show that there are measurable quantities of these contaminants within the water, itself, as well as in the under-water sediments, the nearby aquatic insects, migratory fish that eat the insects, and even predatory wildlife that consume all these different organisms.
“CONTAMINANTS OF EMERGING CONCERN”
Contaminants of emerging concern enter the environment every day. To understand where these chemicals come from, we just need to think about our modern lifestyle. People use chemical-based products each day. These chemicals remain in wastewater and beyond because treatment plants weren't designed to take out these chemicals. Similarly, industrial processes that have their own treatment processes don’t remove all these chemicals, either. Eventually, they end up in the Nation’s lakes and rivers. So these chemicals are getting into the environment and we're concerned about the effects they might be having on organisms, including humans. After all, different contaminants have been detected in drinking water supplies and their risk to our health is still uncertain.
RELATED USGS RESEARCH
USGS studies contaminants and pathogens in nature and provides the science necessary to help protect the health of people and the environment.
- Contaminants of Emerging Concern in the Environment
- What's in Our Wastewaters and Where Does it Go?
- Toxic Substances Hydrology Program
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
There are a huge range of water-quality topics related to emerging contaminants. Here are a few select studies that demonstrate USGS capabilities.
Can There be Unintended Benefits when Wastewater Treatment Infrastructure is Upgraded?
Passive Sampling Using SPMDs and POCIS
Emerging Contaminants and their Effects on Fish and Frogs
Aquatic Ecology and Contaminants
Evaluating Contaminants of Emerging Concern
- Overview
Emerging contaminants, or contaminants of emerging concern, can refer to many different kinds of chemicals, including medicines, personal care or household cleaning products, lawn care and agricultural products, among others. These chemicals make it into our Nation's lakes and rivers and have a detrimental affect on fish and other aquatic species. That have also been shown to bioaccumulate up the food web - putting even non-aquatic species at risk when they eat contaminated fish. The USGS monitors and assesses these dangerous chemicals from their source all the way through the food web.
Featured Study: Pharmaceuticals in Groundwater
There are few pharmaceuticals and hormones in groundwater used for drinking, finds a new USGS study. Groundwater in areas with fractured rocks most vulnerable to pharmaceutical contamination.
Featured Study: Chemical Mixtures in Small U.S. Streams
Mixtures of organic chemicals are ubiquitous in small U.S. streams, reports a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey. In many streams the mixtures could be affecting stream organisms.
BACKGROUND
Since the 1990s studies around the country have investigated how a wide range of chemical compounds, industrial pollutants, and human by-products have been making it into our Nation's waterways. Traditionally, most people were not overly concerned about this because the old mantra used to be "dilution is the solution to pollution" However, this is far from true. After the contaminants make it into the rivers and streams, tests show that there are measurable quantities of these contaminants within the water, itself, as well as in the under-water sediments, the nearby aquatic insects, migratory fish that eat the insects, and even predatory wildlife that consume all these different organisms.
“CONTAMINANTS OF EMERGING CONCERN”
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.USGS scientist measuring pharmaceutical concentrations in samples collected from the Rivers Foss and Ouse, United Kingdom (Credit: Stephen L. Werner) Contaminants of emerging concern enter the environment every day. To understand where these chemicals come from, we just need to think about our modern lifestyle. People use chemical-based products each day. These chemicals remain in wastewater and beyond because treatment plants weren't designed to take out these chemicals. Similarly, industrial processes that have their own treatment processes don’t remove all these chemicals, either. Eventually, they end up in the Nation’s lakes and rivers. So these chemicals are getting into the environment and we're concerned about the effects they might be having on organisms, including humans. After all, different contaminants have been detected in drinking water supplies and their risk to our health is still uncertain.
RELATED USGS RESEARCH
USGS studies contaminants and pathogens in nature and provides the science necessary to help protect the health of people and the environment.
- Contaminants of Emerging Concern in the Environment
- What's in Our Wastewaters and Where Does it Go?
- Toxic Substances Hydrology Program
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Science
There are a huge range of water-quality topics related to emerging contaminants. Here are a few select studies that demonstrate USGS capabilities.
Can There be Unintended Benefits when Wastewater Treatment Infrastructure is Upgraded?
Science from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and other entities has shown that a mixture of natural and synthetic estrogens and other similar chemicals are discharged from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to streams and rivers.Passive Sampling Using SPMDs and POCIS
The application of passive sampling technologies for the monitoring of legacy and emerging organic chemicals in the environment is becoming widely accepted worldwide.Emerging Contaminants and their Effects on Fish and Frogs
The endocrine system in animals produce hormones to regulate essential life processes, such as metabolism, tissue function, reproduction, and development. A large group of natural and synthetic chemicals are known to disrupt endocrine function. Examples include plant hormones, plastic components, flame retardants, surfactants, fragrances, pesticides, etc. Endocrine disrupting chemicals, or EDCs...Aquatic Ecology and Contaminants
The Aquatic Ecology and Contaminants Team investigates critical ecological processes operating in aquatic and riparian ecosystems and how these processes are affected by human activities. We address questions through a combination of field studies, laboratory experiments, and modeling, while working at multiple levels of biological organization from cells through ecosystems. Topics include land...Evaluating Contaminants of Emerging Concern
Scientists are assessing the impacts of contaminants of emerging concern on Great Lakes fish, wildlife, and water quality by collecting and analyzing samples from tributaries to the Great Lakes. - Data
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