Analytical Techniques for Emerging Pollutants

The emission of unregulated “ new ” or “ emerging ” contaminants has become an environmental problem, and there is agreement that regulations need to be introduced. These contaminants are used every day in large quantities, such as pharmaceutical products for medical or veterinary use, personal care products, surfactants and residues, plastics and various industrial additives. One of their specific characteristics is that they do not necessarily need to persist in the environment to have a damaging effect, because high transformation/elimination rates can be offset by their continuous introduction into the environment. Emerging substances in the environment are not necessarily new chemical compounds. These are substances which have been present in the environment for a long time, but their effects have only just recently been understood. Data about emerging substances are often rare and, more often than not, analytical methods are still at the research and development stage or have not yet been harmonised at the European level. This situation means it is hard to interpret and compare the results obtained by different laboratories, and this presents a major difficulty for the organisations responsible for regulation when it comes to decision-making.

This article takes stock of the analytical techniques currently available or in development for determining emerging pollutants in the environment. It summarises what those contaminants are, giving examples of the most commonly analysed substances, with a detailed description of various techniques in use at this time, distinguishing between the different stages (extraction, separation, detection).