Emerging Contaminants Testing: New Threats That Standard Water Tests Don’t Detect

Your Water May Look Clean, But Hidden Threats Are Lurking Beneath the Surface

While standard water quality tests check for traditional contaminants like bacteria, chlorine, and heavy metals, a new generation of pollutants is slipping through undetected. Emerging contaminants (ECs), such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), microplastics, and nanomaterials, are increasingly detected in water, soil, and air, raising serious environmental and public health concerns. These invisible invaders represent a growing threat that standard water testing simply cannot catch.

The Silent Invasion: What Are Emerging Contaminants?

PFAS are emerging contaminants. Emerging contaminants are contaminants about which we have a new awareness or understanding about how they move in the environment or affect public health. Unlike traditional pollutants that have been regulated for decades, these substances represent a new frontier of water contamination that requires specialized detection methods.

The most concerning emerging contaminants include:

  • PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances): Known as the most detected per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in various environmental compartments, have been associated with plastic pollution and endocrine dysfunction. These “forever chemicals” don’t break down naturally and accumulate in the environment and human body over time.
  • Microplastics: MPs include a wide range of materials (thousands of different plastics), each with its own chemical composition and characteristics, such as size (ranging from 0.1 to 5000 µm), shape (fibers, films, pellets, fragments, and foams), and color (transparent, red, green, blue, black, etc.)
  • Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products: Pharmaceuticals, steroids, and personal care products have also been detected in the aquatic environment and may act as EDCs.
  • Endocrine Disruptors: In recent years, endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) have aroused public concern due to their adverse effects on the endocrine systems of some aquatic and terrestrial animals.

Why Standard Water Tests Miss These Threats

Traditional water testing focuses on regulated contaminants that have been studied for decades. However, In some cases, release of emerging contaminants to the environment has likely occurred for a long time, but may not have been recognized until new detection methods were developed. In other cases, synthesis of new chemicals or changes in use and disposal of existing chemicals can create new sources of emerging contaminants.

Standard tests typically look for:

  • Bacteria and viruses
  • Chlorine and chloramine
  • Heavy metals like lead and mercury
  • pH levels and hardness
  • Traditional pesticides

But they don’t detect the sophisticated molecular structures of PFAS, the microscopic plastic particles floating in your water, or the pharmaceutical residues that pass through conventional treatment systems.

The Health Implications Are Staggering

Exposure to PFAS has been linked to adverse health impacts that include some cancers, liver and heart disease, and immune and developmental damage to infants and children. Meanwhile, One report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), found PFAS in the blood of 97% of Americans.

The challenge is that these contaminants often work at extremely low concentrations. These compounds are generally present at trace levels (ng l(-1)) and in complex water matrices, such as wastewaters and surface waters, making their analysis difficult. Even nanogram-per-liter concentrations can have biological effects, especially with long-term exposure.

Advanced Testing: The Solution You Need

Detecting emerging contaminants requires sophisticated analytical methods. Microplastics can be analyzed using several methods, the most common of which are Raman, FTIR, and py-GC/MS. Raman and FTIR can identify and quantify microplastic particles by size range and plastic type. For pharmaceuticals and endocrine disruptors, The method employs solid-phase extraction (SPE) and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS), using electrospray ionization (ESI) in both positive and negative modes and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization in positive mode.

Professional water quality testing services now offer specialized panels that can detect these emerging threats. These advanced tests use cutting-edge technology to identify contaminants at the molecular level, providing the comprehensive analysis your family’s health deserves.

Regulatory Response and Future Outlook

Recognizing the severity of this issue, In April 2024, EPA issued the first-ever national, legally enforceable drinking water standard to protect communities from exposure to harmful PFAS. The final rule will reduce PFAS exposure for approximately 100 million people, prevent thousands of deaths, and reduce tens of thousands of serious illnesses.

Today, November 20, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched a new, no-cost technical assistance effort focused on reducing exposure to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other emerging contaminants in small or disadvantaged communities.

Taking Action: Protecting Your Family

Quality Safe Water of Florida understands the critical importance of comprehensive water testing. Quality Safe Water of Florida is dedicated to ensuring every Florida family has access to clean, safe, and purified water. We are committed to providing the highest quality, efficient, and affordable water treatment solutions, prioritizing the health and well-being of our customers.

Quality Safe Water of Florida offers a variety of services to meet all your water needs. We’ll provide you with your own custom-designed water purification system, based on your water analysis & your family’s water usage & needs. Their comprehensive approach includes testing for emerging contaminants that standard tests miss, ensuring your family’s water is truly safe.

Don’t wait for these invisible threats to impact your health. The science is clear: emerging contaminants are present in water supplies across the country, and standard testing methods simply aren’t enough. Investing in advanced water quality testing and appropriate filtration systems isn’t just about peace of mind—it’s about protecting your family’s long-term health from contaminants that science is only beginning to understand.

Contact Quality Safe Water of Florida today to learn about comprehensive water testing options that detect emerging contaminants. Because when it comes to your family’s health, what you can’t see can still hurt you.