Most of these chemicals are untested with respect to their environmental impact and potential human toxicity. Many of these chemicals fall into the category of “emerging contaminants” or “chemicals of emerging concern,” which are routinely found in environmental compartments, but remain unregulated. 

Emerging contaminants might be new chemicals entering the environment for the first time, or existing chemicals for which new information - exposure information, toxicity data or social factors- has become available. By their very nature, the list of emerging contaminants is constantly changing.  

For example, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) was an ‘emerging contaminant’ in the 1960s, when Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring first brought to light the ecotoxicological dangers of organochlorine pesticide use, particularly for bird species. Since 2004, the agricultural use of DDT has been prohibited globally, and it is listed on the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.  

Emerging contaminants include pesticides and herbicides used in agriculture, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), industrial chemicals, flame retardants, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), microplastics, and more. 

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