{
  "abstract": "Emerging contaminants pose substantial threats to ecosystems and public health. While advances in analytical techniques and chemicals assessment have revealed the impacts of contaminants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, pharmaceutical residues, and microplastics, knowledge of the vast chemical universe remains limited. This Perspective examines the evolving attention toward emerging contaminants and drivers of their discovery. It identifies key challenges, including methodological limitations in detecting diverse chemical classes, fragmented data landscapes, and delays in translating scientific evidence into regulatory action. We highlight how technological and methodological innovations, particularly advanced analytical technologies, artificial intelligence, and future-oriented assessment frameworks, can shift paradigms in identifying and managing emerging contaminants from reactive to predictive. Critical to this transition is the adoption of open and FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) and harmonized data standards to enable integration of heterogeneous evidence streams. Furthermore, we advocate coupling early warning systems with \"Safe and Sustainable by Design\" approaches to prevent regrettable substitution and reduce hazards at the source. Coordinated action across academia, regulators, industry, and funders is essential to establish proactive prevention as the norm in emerging contaminant management.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Southern University of Science and Technology",
    "State Key Laboratory of Soil Pollution Control and Safety, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering",
    "Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, IDAEA-CSIC, 08034 Barcelona, Spain",
    "ETH Zürich",
    "Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics",
    "Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Eawag, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland",
    "Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and Science",
    "Griffith University",
    "Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of South Carolina, 631 Sumter St., Columbia, South Carolina 29208, United States",
    "Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia",
    "University of Amsterdam",
    "Van ’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS)",
    "Aquatic Resources Research Institute",
    "Chulalongkorn University",
    "East China Normal University",
    "State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research",
    "Department of Green Technology & Danish Institute for Advanced Study",
    "Empa─Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology",
    "National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Catalysis",
    "University of Southern Denmark"
  ],
  "article_type": "review",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 8,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Wenhui Qiu",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9961-3928"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Pablo Gago-Ferrero",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5987-0399"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        4,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Juliane Hollender",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4660-274X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6,
        7
      ],
      "name": "Frédéric D.L. Leusch",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6934-4587"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Susan D. Richardson",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6207-4513"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        9,
        10,
        11
      ],
      "name": "Saer Samanipour",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8270-6979"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        12,
        13,
        14,
        15
      ],
      "name": "Huahong Shi",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-2978-0680"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        16,
        3,
        17,
        18,
        19
      ],
      "name": "Zhanyun Wang",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9914-7659"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1s2nb429tbz2q.bib",
  "cited_by": 6,
  "doi": "10.1021/acs.est.6c03027",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "1s2nb429tbz2q",
  "issns": [
    "0013-936X",
    "1520-5851"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6c03027",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2304|Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7162420342",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": "PMC13262032",
  "pmid": "42190042",
  "published": "2026-05-26",
  "publisher": "American Chemical Society",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1s2nb429tbz2q.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-03T13:20:39Z",
      "native_id": "W7162420342",
      "source": "openalex",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6c03027"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:2304|Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research",
      "subfield": "environmental"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Advancing the Discovery of Emerging Contaminants: A Leap in Technology and Data",
  "title_text": "Advancing the Discovery of Emerging Contaminants: A Leap in Technology and Data",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-08T13:20:55Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1s2nb429tbz2q",
  "venue": "Environmental Science & Technology",
  "versions": []
}