Emerging Contaminants Analysis

On this page, you will find:

• Sources of emerging contaminants
• Environmental monitoring programs
• Identification of unknown emerging contaminants
• US EPA validated methods for emerging contaminants
• Technologies suitable for emerging contaminant analysis

Emerging contaminants include synthetic or naturally occurring compounds or microorganisms that are suspected to have, or have demonstrated, adverse effects on human or environmental health. Emerging contaminants can include previously known, newly discovered, or unknown compounds. An example of the sources of emerging contaminants that can end up in the sewage of the municipalities is shown in the diagram below.

The need to identify these compounds or initiate advanced assessment of their presence in the environment can be due to one or more of the following:

• Newly introduced or newly discovered compounds
• Improved knowledge of health effects from exposure
• Changes in occurrence data
• Observed concentrations have elevated or are now detectable due to changing environmental conditions (e.g., drought, bioaccumulation) or advances in sensitivity of monitoring technologies
• Feasibility of monitoring and or treatment technologies
• Future exposure risks

Environmental monitoring programs are designed to identify potential contaminant candidates through various sources of information and provide processes for regulation inclusion. Examples of emerging contaminant compounds and compound classes of recent concern include the compounds listed in this table.

The proliferation of unknown compounds that can cause long term detrimental effects to human and environmental health has increased the need for early detection for confident identification of these contaminants. Advanced monitoring strategies should include methodologies and techniques that identify and quantitate known contaminants of concern as well as technology capable of revealing the unknown exogenous compounds present. The capabilities of the Orbitrap technology  provide unique solutions for this growing requirement. Specifically, the benefits of HRAM for unknown identification candidate reduction and subsequent confirmation are unmatched.

Academic researchers, regulatory bodies, and environmental interest groups work diligently to determine the impact of known contaminants that have been identified as "emerging". Through data collection and evaluation from various sources a determination for future regulation or monitoring requirements is made. A few specific compounds/compound classes of recent focus include: pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs), pesticides, steroids & endocrine disrupters, microcystins, disinfection byproducts (DBP), and nanoparticles.

Because most emerging contaminants are unknown and present at trace amounts in the environment, modern advanced technologies must be used for characterization, identification, and quantitation. Prior to regulatory determinations, development and validation of analytical methods for monitoring is required. Method development analysts can help choose a technique based on gas phase or liquid phase separation introduction; however, basic chromatography capabilities are limited and generally fail to meet requirements needed for emerging contaminant analysis.

Triple quadrupole mass spectrometers provide selective monitoring of known (targeted) compounds through Select Reaction Monitoring (SRM), demonstrating high sensitivity in complex environmental samples. However, their capabilities are limited when attempting to identify unknown (untargeted) emerging contaminants. For unknown identification, high-resolution accurate-mass (HRAM) mass spectrometry in Orbitrap technology can be used to clearly elucidate the structure of unknown compounds, greatly minimizing identification candidates. Overall, the ability to structurally discriminate unknowns through HRAM and the use of accurate mass as a highly selective monitoring mechanism provides a single solution for both known and unknown emerging contaminant analysis. The added benefit of the availability of Orbitrap technology in both liquid and gas phase analysis delivers an all encompassing solution for emerging contaminant analysis.

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