Emerging contaminants, or contaminants of emerging concern, refers to different chemicals that can include pharmaceutical care products, household cleaning products, industrial products, agricultural products, surfactants and more. These chemicals can be consistently found throughout the environment including groundwater, surface water, drinking water, soil, and air. As emerging contaminants accumulate in the environment, they bioaccumulate in plants, animals and humans. These chemicals can cause known or suspected adverse ecological effects and/or human health effects. To protect ecological and human health, it is essential that we study environmental contamination, exposure pathways, wastes, biosolids and remediation, toxicology, epidemiology and more about emerging contaminants.
Current research and outreach
Browse our 2022-24 Directory of Projects and People to find information about current research and outreach that is related to Emerging Contaminants.