The “chemization” of aquatic habitats
“Mapping chemical footprints of organic micropollutants in European streams. There is increasing awareness that chemical pollution of freshwater systems with complex mixtures of chemicals from domestic sources, agriculture and industry may cause a substantial chemical footprint on water organisms, pushing aquatic ecosystems outside the safe operating space.” >>
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016041202300644X
Polluter pays
Mandated advanced treatment of micropollutants in wastewater
"But the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries, which are responsible for most of those contaminants, are now pushing back." >>
https://e360.yale.edu/features/europe-water-micropollutants
#water #pollution #AquaticEcosystems #AquaticOrganisms #micropollutants #runoff #regulation #delayism #chemicals #pharmaceuticals #cosmetics #agriculture #lobby #consumers #rivers #platypus #invertebrates #fish #wildlife #PlanetaryBoundaries
Here is our newest publication: Enrichment and characterization of steroid-degrading microbes for targeted removal of steroid hormone micropollutants in small-scale wastewater treatment solutions
https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.00649-25
#microbiology #bacteria #micropollutants #wastwater #bioaugmentation
Steroid hormones are endocrine-disrupting compounds exhibiting adverse effects on humans and the environment even at very low concentrations. Their removal during water treatment is often insufficient, and novel methods are required to increase hormone micropollutant removal from wastewater. This study enriched and isolated steroid hormone-degrading microorganisms in a flow-through system and tested their usability for bioaugmentation of small-scale water treatment solutions. While removal of estrogen hormones was found to be mainly abiotic, efficient biological androgen degradation was achieved. The combined results show that flow-through reactors, along with appropriate surface materials, are suitable for isolating biofilm-forming and hormone-degrading bacteria and that these microbes can be used for bioaugmentation to remove low concentrations of steroid hormones from wastewater. Based on these results, recommendations for future enrichment studies for bioaugmentation are formulated, and potential pitfalls are discussed.
#PREWAPHARM - Reducing pharmaceutical pollution in water. Our new #Interreg NWE project just started. Looking forward to meet many interesting people working hard to keep our waters clean.
https://prewapharm.nweurope.eu/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/prewapharm/
#science #WaterWiseEU #wastewater #micropollutants #pharmaceuticals
From water pollution to blue gold
Water "“blighted by mats of algae, mountains of foam, scum, and dead fish floating on the surface. Pollution from water companies and agricultural runoff are driving the contamination, which affects all parts of the country, causing toxic algal blooms, mass die-offs of fish, and risks to human health."
"A country that once let raw sewage and industrial wastewater flow directly into its water. Today, it is 98%, and the country has a reputation for pristine swimming waters, sometimes referred to as its “blue gold” – and it’s all thanks to a complex network of sewage plants."
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/17/from-sewage-and-scum-to-swimming-in-blue-gold-how-switzerland-transformed-its-waterways-aoe
#water #pollution #micropollutants #ecosystem #health #swimming #Australia #sewage #floods #runoff #ImperviousSurfaces #roads #MassMortalities #SepticTanks #sprawl #biodiversity #rivers #civilisation
An MEP for this region is describing new water quality laws as one of the most significant overhauls in EU policy in 30 years. The Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive has been passed in the European parliament today and would see industrial companies financially penalised for emitting micro-pollutants. In 2021, an EPA report identified Kilkee, Clarecastle, …
An MEP for this region is describing new water quality laws as one of the most significant overhauls in EU policy in 30 years. The Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive has been passed in the European parliament today and would see industrial companies financially penalised for emitting micro-pollutants. In 2021, an EPA report identified Kilkee, Clarecastle, …
Czech Academy of Sciences
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