Tecniche per la difesa del suolo e dall'inquinamento-Technologies for Integrated River Basin management. 41° corso

Groundwater contamination by emerging organic pollutants (EOPs) is of key interest in the field of environmental protection and risk mitigation. Groundwater sources in Europe and worldwide have been documented to be threatened by organic compounds which are related to potentially negative effects onto ecosystems and human health despite their detection is limited (usually) to trace concentration levels (1‐1000 ng/l). Some organic compounds are still not firmly included in a European/worldwide routine monitoring program and/or a clear regulation framework. Elements of concern include emerging contaminants, a general denomination typically encompassing personal care products and pharmaceuticals (PPCP), industrial chemicals, food additives and nanoparticles. There are elements suggesting that these compounds can cause (eco)toxicologic effects on groundwater habitat due to long-term scenarios associated with (1) their continuous release in the environment and (2) their potentially persistent and bioactive nature. Here, we focus on pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs, which are synthetized to be biologically active and normally exhibit a recalcitrant behaviour across all environmental compartments. In this broad context, our study aims at: (i) providing a general appraisal of the main traits associated with current knowledge on EOPs and their impact on aquatic environments, (ii) describing the main attenuation mechanisms taking place in groundwater (sorption, precipitation and biodegradation), and (iii) addressing the most common approaches upon which one typically builds a conceptual model underpinning the evolution of EOPs in groundwater bodies. We also highlight the main limitations/drawbacks of these approaches, with a focus on (a) availability of modelling tools capable to handle the multicompartment nature (including the aqueous/vapour/solid interfaces) of the problem, (b) difficulties in sampling trace concentration levels, (c) scale‐ and site‐ dependencies exhibited in these types of scenarios, and (d) the need to simultaneously monitor the behavior of parent compounds (and associated human metabolites) and transformation products.