Abstract

The increasing worldwide contamination of freshwater systems with thousands of industrial and natural chemical compounds is one of the key environmental problems facing humanity. Although most of these compounds are present at low concentrations, many of them raise considerable toxicological concerns, particularly when present as components of complex mixtures. Here we review three scientific challenges in addressing water-quality problems caused by such micropollutants. First, tools to assess the impact of these pollutants on aquatic life and human health must be further developed and refined. Second, cost-effective and appropriate remediation and water-treatment technologies must be explored and implemented. Third, usage and disposal strategies, coupled with the search for environmentally more benign products and processes, should aim to minimize introduction of critical pollutants into the aquatic environment.

Keywords

PollutantEnvironmental scienceAquatic ecosystemEnvironmental remediationHuman healthEnvironmental planningWater qualityBiochemical engineeringAquatic environmentWater pollutantsRisk analysis (engineering)Environmental protectionEnvironmental resource managementBusinessContaminationEnvironmental chemistryEcologyChemistryEnvironmental healthEngineeringBiology

MeSH Terms

AnimalsBiodegradationEnvironmentalComplex MixturesDeveloping CountriesEcosystemEnvironmentFresh WaterHumansRisk AssessmentToxicity TestsWater PollutantsChemicalWater PollutionWater PurificationWater Supply

Affiliated Institutions

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Publication Info

Year
2006
Type
review
Volume
313
Issue
5790
Pages
1072-1077
Citations
3491
Access
Closed

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Cite This

René P. Schwarzenbach, Beate I. Escher, Kathrin Fenner et al. (2006). The Challenge of Micropollutants in Aquatic Systems. Science , 313 (5790) , 1072-1077. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1127291

Identifiers

DOI
10.1126/science.1127291
PMID
16931750

Data Quality

Data completeness: 81%