1st International Conference of Soil and Agriculture:
TOWARDS SOIL SUSTAINABILITY
11–13 June 2024 • Lublin–Nałęczów, Poland

https://doi.org/10.24326/ICSA1.1.05
Published online: 4 October 2024

Emerging contaminants in soils – trendy trifles or a real threat?
Anna Karczewska*

Institute of Soil Science, Plant Nutrition and Environmental Protection, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Grunwaldzka 53, 50-357 Wrocław, Poland
* Corresponding author:

Abstract
A systematic review of knowledge on “emerging contaminants” will be presented, with focus on their importance in the natural environment, including soils, and related environmental risk. Emerging contaminants (the contaminants of emerging concern, CECs), are defined as natural and synthetic chemicals that are not routinely monitored or regulated in the environment and may have known or suspected adverse effects on biota and human health. This term covers a wide range of substances, such as pharmaceuticals, hormones, personal care products, cosmetics, fragrances, plasticizers, flame retardants, surfactants, perfluoroalkyl compounds (PFAS), and various industrial products, as well as algal toxins. Some metal(loid)s, pesticides, and PAHs are often included in this list. CECs can be released continuously into the environment and even at low concentrations can cause chronic toxicity or other adverse effects (e.g. endocrine disruption) to biota. Scientists have been intensively working on CECs since the beginning of the 21st century, when new analytical techniques for determining ultra-trace concentrations of substances were developed, and it has become both a fashion and even a requirement to obtain funding for research. Though, the origin of the term CECs can be assigned to the disclosure of environmental fate of DDT in the 1960s. Initially, the problems of CECs were associated mainly with surface water, the sink of contaminants released with insufficiently treated wastewater. However, the pools of CECs that remain in sewage sludge can pose a threat to soils in case of its usage in agriculture or land reclamation. CECs can also enter soils from other sources, such as fertilizers, compost, manure, or urban run-off. Environmental risk caused by the CECs present in soils depends on their characteristics (persistence, toxicity, bioavailability) and soil properties. The ability of plants to take up CECs from soil is very important from an agricultural point of view. A critical analysis of the risk posed by the presence of CECs in soils will be presented on several examples, including PFAS. Both human health risk and ecological risk will be taken into account. A discussion on the need and possibility to set the permissible concentrations of CECs in soils will be commenced. Additionally, the examples of current legislation in various countries will be shown, which may constitute a starting point for further discussion.

Keywords: soil, contaminants of emerging concern, environmental risk, fate, legislation

How to cite
Karczewska A., 2024. Emerging contaminants in soils – trendy trifles or a real threat?. 1st International Conference of Soil and Agriculture: Towards Soil Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.24326/ICSA1.1.05