Emerging Contaminants

Emerging contaminants are chemicals that may be a threat to ecological and human health and are unregulated in a water quality context. These emerging contaminants come from a wide range of sources which may include, but are not limited to, personal care products, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and industrial chemicals. After the source products are used, these chemicals find their way into water bodies through runoff and stormwater or wastewater effluent. Some examples of emerging contaminants include: fipronil, which is an insecticide used on pets for flea treatments; fluorinated compounds, which are used to repel water and grease on clothing, make nonstick cookware, and grease-resistant fiber or paper products; and phenolic benzotriazoles (abbreviated as BZT-UVs) which are used in sunscreens to prevent skin damage and plastics to reduce degradation and discoloration. 

Emerging contaminants are challenging to address because there often is limited information on how long they persist in the environment and the effects they may have on marine organisms. There are several State agencies, including the State Water Resources Control Board (Water Board), the Department of Toxic Substances Control, and the Department of Pesticide Regulation that work to address emerging contaminants. The Ocean Protection Council works with our partner agencies to provide current data and expert guidance to inform our understanding of emerging contaminants. 

Our Work

Advancing Science and Providing Scientific Guidance  

• Contaminants of Emerging Concern Expert Science Panel – OPC and the Water Board co-funded the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project to facilitate and administer an expert panel on emerging contaminants in state waters. The expert panel released the final report Monitoring Strategies for Constituents of Emerging Concern (CECs) in California’s Aquatic Ecosystems: Recommendations of a Science Advisory Panel (2023) to advise the State on the risks of emerging contaminants impacting human health and the environment in freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems, and provide recommendations to the Water Board on monitoring for emerging contaminants. More information is available on the Water Board Constituents of Emerging Concern (CEC) Program webpage.   

• Screening for Emerging Contaminants in the Southern California Bight – In 2018, OPC funded the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project to screen sediment and fish tissue samples from the Southern California Bight for emerging contaminants using bioscreening techniques, and analyzing a subset of those samples using nontargeted chemical analysis to 1) determine whether bioscreening and nontargeted analyses are effective for large-scale screening or monitoring and 2) identify new emerging contaminants for further study.  

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