Assessment, Obstacles, and Risk Communication for Organic Micropollutants in the Urban Water

Industries, despite of playing an imperative role in economic development all around the world, are also considered to be the major pollutant sources as they emit an incredible quantity of organic micropollutants into the environment. Ranging from pharmaceuticals, hormones, pesticides, and plasticizers to personal care products (PCPs), several organic micropollutants are discharged into water although in quantities as small as micrograms but their effect on the aquatic ecosystem and terrestrial environment is beyond control. This eventually raises issues regarding drinking water purity and human health. Though various remediation and treatment technologies are introduced in recent years for the abatement of organic micropollutants, it is observed sometimes that the transformation products prove to be more toxic as compared to parent micropollutants. In this chapter, the possible types and updated sources of organic pollutants are discussed in light of the urban water cycle. Apart from that, light is also shed on the impacts of organic micropollutants on the biotic as well as abiotic components of the ecosystem. The potential bottlenecks of available treatment technologies are also explained in an explanatory manner.