Sumario: |
BSTRACT
Industrial development has made new products available to people to make their lives
easier. Items such as food, cleaning, personal care and health products, among others, are
processed, sold and consumed daily by all age groups. These products include in their
formulation inorganic and organic chemicals with the purpose of improving or increasing some
of their properties, making them more attractive to the consumer. These substances are strictly
controlled during production so that the final product may be safely consumed. In most cases,
the constituents of commercial products end up in wastewater, where they are not controlled.
These uncontrolled pollutants of differing chemical natures are known as “Emerging
Contaminants” (ECs). Research worldwide has found ECs in various environmental matrices,
especially water. To understand this problem, four fundamental aspects must be addressed: 1)
the analytical methods for its determination; 2) the occurrence in environmental matrices; 3)
the treatments for the removal of ECs in wastewater and drinking water plants; and 4) the risks
to health and the environment. This document reviews these four aspects with regard to 14 ECs
commonly found in the studies around the world and addresses the state of these ECs in transAmerican waters.
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