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Peer-reviewedCC BYEnvironmental Science & Technology

Advancing the Discovery of Emerging Contaminants: A Leap in Technology and Data

  • Wenhui Qiu1,2
  • Pablo Gago-Ferrero3
  • Juliane Hollender4,5,6
  • Frédéric D.L. Leusch7,8
  • Susan D. Richardson9
  • Saer Samanipour10,11,12
  • Huahong Shi13,14,15,16
  • Zhanyun Wang17,4,18,19,20
20 affiliations
  1. 1Southern University of Science and Technology
  2. 2State 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
  3. 3Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, IDAEA-CSIC, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
  4. 4ETH Zürich
  5. 5Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics
  6. 6Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Eawag, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
  7. 7Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and Science
  8. 8Griffith University
  9. 9Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of South Carolina, 631 Sumter St., Columbia, South Carolina 29208, United States
  10. 10Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
  11. 11University of Amsterdam
  12. 12Van ’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS)
  13. 13Aquatic Resources Research Institute
  14. 14Chulalongkorn University
  15. 15East China Normal University
  16. 16State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research
  17. 17Department of Green Technology & Danish Institute for Advanced Study
  18. 18Empa─Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology
  19. 19National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Catalysis
  20. 20University of Southern Denmark
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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.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{qiu2026advancing,
  title = {{Advancing the Discovery of Emerging Contaminants: A Leap in Technology and Data}},
  author = {Wenhui Qiu and Pablo Gago-Ferrero and Juliane Hollender and Frédéric D.L. Leusch and Susan D. Richardson and Saer Samanipour and Huahong Shi and Zhanyun Wang},
  journal = {Environmental Science \& Technology},
  year = {2026},
  month = may,
  doi = {10.1021/acs.est.6c03027},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6c03027},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Advancing the Discovery of Emerging Contaminants: A Leap in Technology and Data
AU  - Wenhui Qiu
AU  - Pablo Gago-Ferrero
AU  - Juliane Hollender
AU  - Frédéric D.L. Leusch
AU  - Susan D. Richardson
AU  - Saer Samanipour
AU  - Huahong Shi
AU  - Zhanyun Wang
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/26
JO  - Environmental Science & Technology
DO  - 10.1021/acs.est.6c03027
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6c03027
AB  - 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.
SN  - 0013-936X
SN  - 1520-5851
ER  -