Emerging Contaminants

A rather recent development, emerging contaminants, is just beginning to be studied. Emerging contaminants are new chemicals only recently found in our water supply. Researchers are trying to determine what effect emerging contaminants have on water quality and the environent. Experts in the water treatment industry are tracking an alarming rise in the levels of antibiotics in water supplies. Livestock herds are being looked at as a potential source of these contaminants. Why? Because if a disease were introduced into a large confinement, it would spread quickly, potentially killing hundreds or thousands of animals. Farmers rely on antibiotics as a preventive measure to keep herds healthy. The antibiotics show up in the animals’ waste, and runoff carries it into waterways. While researchers believe antibiotic use on farms is contributing to the problem, they believe humans’ use of antibiotics is a much bigger factor in the field of emerging contaminants.