Have you ever wondered if the glass of water you are going to drink is the same as that consumed by a celebrity of yesteryear? Or, if the water you are bathing in is the same used by a thirsty dinosaur several million years ago? It very likely may be, as the water on Earth has stayed mostly the same over several billion years, because of the way the water cycle works.
The difference is that the water we use today may contain tiny amounts of manufactured chemicals like pharmaceuticals, personal care products (ingredients from perfumes, and antimicrobial soaps) plasticizers, fire retardants used in furniture, detergents, insect-repellents, contraceptive hormones and even a little bit of caffeine! This group of chemicals, that has recently been detected in our water supplies at trace levels and normally through anthropogenic influences, are broadly classified as ‘emerging contaminants’. These chemicals are often used to improve our lives but also find their way into our water supplies. In fact, numerous reports have suggested these chemicals are found in rivers, lakes and drinking water supplies globally, and at increasing frequency.
A few of these emerging contaminants are known to have adverse biological effects on humans and wildlife but toxicological data for a vast majority of them is still unknown and under review. Furthermore, the longterm effects of being exposed to low dose concentrations of these compounds in water and potential synergistic effects they may have over time in humans is currently unknown. With over 130 million known chemicals in the world today, it should not be a surprise to find that some of them are entering the environment. Very few, if any, emerging contaminants are regulated in water around the world.
Have you ever wondered if the glass of water you are going to drink is the same as that consumed by a celebrity of yesteryear? Or, if the water you are bathing in is the same used by a thirsty dinosaur several million years ago? It very likely may be, as the water on Earth has stayed mostly the same over several billion years, because of the way the water cycle works.
The difference is that the water we use today may contain tiny amounts of manufactured chemicals like pharmaceuticals, personal care products (ingredients from perfumes, and antimicrobial soaps) plasticizers, fire retardants used in furniture, detergents, insect-repellents, contraceptive hormones and even a little bit of caffeine! This group of chemicals, that has recently been detected in our water supplies at trace levels and normally through anthropogenic influences, are broadly classified as ‘emerging contaminants’. These chemicals are often used to improve our lives but also find their way into our water supplies. In fact, numerous reports have suggested these chemicals are found in rivers, lakes and drinking water supplies globally, and at increasing frequency.
A few of these emerging contaminants are known to have adverse biological effects on humans and wildlife but toxicological data for a vast majority of them is still unknown and under review. Furthermore, the longterm effects of being exposed to low dose concentrations of these compounds in water and potential synergistic effects they may have over time in humans is currently unknown. With over 130 million known chemicals in the world today, it should not be a surprise to find that some of them are entering the environment. Very few, if any, emerging contaminants are regulated in water around the world.
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