Chapter 17
Scope of Conventional Versus Advanced
Technologies for the Control
and Prevention of Emerging
Contamination
Anjana Srivastava
Owing to on-going demographic shifts, urbanization and changing life styles supported by rapid industrialization, pollution by so-called emerging contaminants (ECs)
is a rising environmental and public health concern globally. Some items that we use
in our everyday lives like pharmaceuticals, pesticides, industrial chemicals, surfactants, and personal care products are collectively referred as “contaminants of emerging concern,” These contaminants also include endocrine-disrupting compounds,
analgesics, antibiotics, hormones and a whole range of other pharmaceutical compounds including anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and anti-epileptic drugs that are
also a cause of increasing antibiotic resistance and endocrine disruption in aquatic
animals and possibly humans too. The list of compounds and chemicals in this group
is significantly large and is ever expanding with the introduction of new commercial chemicals, changes in use and disposal of chemicals currently in widespread
use and further identification of new molecules that form part of this classification
(Rodriguez-Narvaez et al. 2017).
ECs may be synthetic or naturally occurring or any microorganisms that are not
commonly monitored in the environment but possess the potential to enter the environment and cause known or suspected adverse ecological and/or human health
effects. ECs are usually associated with various sources such as municipal wastewater treatment plants, runoff from agricultural, and urban land surfaces, septic systems,
etc., and hence are consistently being found in groundwater, surface water, municipal
wastewater, drinking water, and food sources. Despite strict regulations, significant
amount of pharmaceutical compounds find their way in the environment causing
detrimental impacts. There are several reports that, even at a lower dose, these compounds can have severe health impacts as well as drug resistance. Alternately, unused
and expired drugs are another concerning factor responsible for increasing ECs in
A. Srivastava (B)
Department of Chemistry, College of Basic Science & Humanities, GBPUA&T, Pantnagar
263145, Uttarakhand, India
e-mail: anj612003@gmail.com
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
M. Kumar et al. (eds.), Contaminants in Drinking and Wastewater Sources,
Springer Transactions in Civil and Environmental Engineering,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4599-3_17
383
Scope of Conventional Versus Advanced
Technologies for the Control
and Prevention of Emerging
Contamination
Anjana Srivastava
Owing to on-going demographic shifts, urbanization and changing life styles supported by rapid industrialization, pollution by so-called emerging contaminants (ECs)
is a rising environmental and public health concern globally. Some items that we use
in our everyday lives like pharmaceuticals, pesticides, industrial chemicals, surfactants, and personal care products are collectively referred as “contaminants of emerging concern,” These contaminants also include endocrine-disrupting compounds,
analgesics, antibiotics, hormones and a whole range of other pharmaceutical compounds including anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and anti-epileptic drugs that are
also a cause of increasing antibiotic resistance and endocrine disruption in aquatic
animals and possibly humans too. The list of compounds and chemicals in this group
is significantly large and is ever expanding with the introduction of new commercial chemicals, changes in use and disposal of chemicals currently in widespread
use and further identification of new molecules that form part of this classification
(Rodriguez-Narvaez et al. 2017).
ECs may be synthetic or naturally occurring or any microorganisms that are not
commonly monitored in the environment but possess the potential to enter the environment and cause known or suspected adverse ecological and/or human health
effects. ECs are usually associated with various sources such as municipal wastewater treatment plants, runoff from agricultural, and urban land surfaces, septic systems,
etc., and hence are consistently being found in groundwater, surface water, municipal
wastewater, drinking water, and food sources. Despite strict regulations, significant
amount of pharmaceutical compounds find their way in the environment causing
detrimental impacts. There are several reports that, even at a lower dose, these compounds can have severe health impacts as well as drug resistance. Alternately, unused
and expired drugs are another concerning factor responsible for increasing ECs in
A. Srivastava (B)
Department of Chemistry, College of Basic Science & Humanities, GBPUA&T, Pantnagar
263145, Uttarakhand, India
e-mail: anj612003@gmail.com
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
M. Kumar et al. (eds.), Contaminants in Drinking and Wastewater Sources,
Springer Transactions in Civil and Environmental Engineering,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4599-3_17
383