Water

Contaminants

Consumption Dissolved Oxygen Contaminants Sediment

Contaminants of Emerging Concern Status Rating:

FAIR

and getting worse

Here’s Why:

Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs), such as PFAS, stay and build up in the environment, impacting human and ecosystem health. Because traditional methods might not work well for monitoring these new contaminants, we need to use different tools and work together to understand and address the risks these contaminants pose to our water resources.

What do waterproof boots, the popcorn bag you toss in the microwave, and personal care products have in common?

They all contain a variety of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs), which are continuously released into the environment as they are used. While they offer various benefits, such as waterproofing and providing non-stick surfaces, these chemicals also carry hidden costs, influencing human health and the environment in ways that are not yet understood. Two categories of recent CECs – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are of particular concern due to their persistence and accumulation in the environment. This section introduces the pressing issue of CECs by exploring the detrimental effects of these chemicals, their prevalence in the environment, and the scientific and regulatory efforts underway to mitigate their impact.

PFAS have earned the nickname “forever chemicals” due to their tenacious persistence in the environment. PFAS do not break down. They accumulate in water sources and even in our bodies. Certain levels of PFAS in our food and drinking water can negatively impact our health, including complications such as kidney disease, liver damage, and even cancer. PFAS have been discovered in drinking water and the fish we eat, with samples showing levels exceeding current safety recommendations.

Examples of PPCPs include medicines and everyday products like soaps and sunscreens. Like PFAS, chemicals found in these items resist breaking down and accumulate in our environment. Areas with high industrial activity, such as the tidal portion of the Delaware River, often show higher concentrations of these chemicals. While we are beginning to understand these products’ effects on human health, more research is needed to learn about their path into waterways and their lasting environmental impacts.

As these CECs gain attention, scientists are studying their impact and searching for ways to remove these chemicals to ensure the safety of our water and food sources. They are categorizing chemicals based on use or potential harm, developing new measurement techniques, and prompting sustainable practices like recycling and reuse to reduce the introduction of new ECs into our environment. Yet, keeping pace with the risks posed by the thousands of new chemicals created each year is challenging. This is especially true for contaminants in low concentrations and mixtures, which require very different monitoring tools.

Despite challenges, progress is noticeable. Enhanced detection methods, regulatory actions, and remediation efforts have increased our understanding to help address this emerging concern. Even as new contaminants emerge, ongoing research, monitoring, and cooperative efforts among state and federal agencies ensure we’re working towards a healthier and safer future for the Delaware River Watershed. However, patience is needed. Even after water quality improves, the effects of past pollution can linger. Tissue concentrations refer to the level of contaminants that have built up in the bodies of organisms. So even if the pollutants stopped today, it will take time for levels to decrease in an organism’s tissues. This fact underscores the need for continuous efforts to minimize pollution.

Current regulatory approaches may fall short in addressing these contaminants due to a lack of available information, and so public concern is rising over their environmental and human health implications. Therefore, future work should evaluate the source and potential effects of these contaminants in the Delaware River. This demands cooperation among national and regional partners and education to address the increased interest and concern about how these substances impact our water resources, environment, and health.

Things You Can Do

Learn about chemicals in everyday products you use and shop safer and smarter by avoiding products that contain harmful chemicals.
Encourage your officials to support regulations that minimize the impact of emerging contaminants on human health and the environment.
Utilize household hazardous waste drop-offs to dispose of waste items/ household chemicals properly.
Be sure to dispose of unused prescription drugs properly. DO NOT flush them in the toilet or rinse them down the drain! (Learn how to dispose of medication properly and find a pickup location for a drug take-back event near you here).

Get Involved

What is Being Done?

The Delaware River Basin Commission periodically monitors for Contaminants of Emerging Concern in surface water, sediment and fish tissue. It works in cooperation with state agencies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and academic partners on a prioritized list for further evaluation. The Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) began proactively testing for PFAS in 2019 to better understand the occurrence of CECs in the city’s water supply. Testing has found PFAS levels in the city’s water well below the criteria for drinking water in Pennsylvania to protect human health.

Building Connections

How does monitoring emerging contaminants connect to the strategies and goals outlined in the Delaware Estuary Program’s Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP)? CCMP STRATEGY W2.4: Coordinate and promote research and monitoring efforts (chemical, physical, biological) associated with the causes of water quality impacts throughout the Delaware Estuary. This emerging contaminants indicator status report is based on research compiled in the 2022 Technical Report for the Delaware Estuary and Basin (2022 TREB). Please refer to this document for more information.

Partnership for the DE Estuary