The presence of emerging contaminants in water bodies has recently been acknowledged as a global concern. Emerging contaminants (ECs) can be defined as the chemicals found in very trace amount in the environment but pose major risk to the “One Health”. They include herbicides, pesticides, surfactants, industrial additives, solvents, nanomaterials, plasticizers, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). Some of these ECs can cause chronic toxicity, endocrine disruption in humans and aquatic organisms. They are also responsible for inducing antimicrobial resistance. Studies have found the presence of ECs in surface water, ground water, treated wastewater, industrial effluent and bottled water. The surface water recharges ground water, thereby the ECs make their way to deep water aquifers. The soil also gets contaminated and plants can uptake ECs. These micro-pollutants can cause adverse ecological and human health effects. A detailed review of ECs in Indian water bodies and their treatment technologies was carried out. Conventional biological treatment is not capable of removing ECs completely. Advanced oxidation processes using ozonation and visible light active photo catalyst are a sustainable solution for the removal of most of the ECs.

In this study, we have monitored a river for the presence of ECs namely Vena River, near Hingna, Nagpur. The samples were collected from 5 different locations along the river. The analysis revealed the presence of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) such as Dibutyl phthalate, Hentriacontane, heptane and some volatile fatty acids along with heavy metals contamination.