Certain sources of chemical pollution of the aquatic environment, such as agriculture or municipal wastewater, are now reasonably well known. But knowledge of the quantities and diversity of synthetic organic compounds released in industrial wastewater from chemical and pharmaceutical production remains fragmentary. This is not unproblematic, as the substances in question include compounds which are highly persistent, bioaccumulative or may promote the development of antibiotic resistance. In addition, many substances slip through the net of conventional monitoring since they are simply not targeted.
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Source: Phys.org