To model micropollutants or not to model ... that is the question

Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) in the aquatic environment has become an environmental issue of growing global concern. Their monitoring is discontinuous, costly and time-consuming, strongly depending on the adopted analytical methods, not permitting to have a comprehensive view of their presence and dynamics in the environmental compartments (drinking water, wastewater, natural water, crops). Consequently, the risk for the environment and human health could be even significantly underestimated. Modelling tools are thus fundamental to support monitoring and management of CECs, in an integrated framework oriented to the overall risk minimization. Here, the following modelling tools are presented: (i) methods to manage CECs concentration data under the Limit of Quantification; (ii) stochastic methods to support the generalization and interpretation of literature outputs; (iii) fate models to describe CECs dynamics in interconnected environmental compartments, to be used for forward and backward predictions, and thus supporting CECs prioritization and risk-based corrective actions.