Emerging Contaminants in Water Treatment

PFAS are a family of over 14,000 synthetic chemicals characterized by extremely strong carbon-fluorine bonds that resist environmental degradation. Used in firefighting foams (AFFF), non-stick coatings, food packaging, and industrial processes, PFAS have contaminated drinking water supplies serving hundreds of millions of people worldwide. PFAS are linked to cancer, thyroid disease, immune suppression, and developmental effects.

Microplastics — plastic particles smaller than 5 mm — are now ubiquitous in surface water, groundwater, wastewater effluent, and even treated drinking water. Sources include textile fibers, tire wear particles, cosmetic microbeads, and degradation of larger plastic waste. While health effects are still being studied, growing evidence links microplastic ingestion to inflammation, oxidative stress, and potential vector effects for adsorbed contaminants.

Pharmaceutical residues — including antibiotics, hormones, analgesics, and antidepressants — enter water systems through household wastewater, hospital effluent, and agricultural runoff. Many of these compounds act as endocrine disruptors, interfering with hormonal systems in aquatic organisms at concentrations as low as nanograms per liter. Conventional wastewater treatment removes only 50–70% of most pharmaceutical compounds.