Steps Scientists Can Take to Inform Aquatic Microplastics Management: A Perspective Informed by the California Experience.

Recent evidence suggests that microplastic particles are pervasive and potentially of great risk to both animal and human health. The California legislature has responded to this information by enacting two new bills that require quantification of microplastics in various media and development of new management strategies to address microplastic pollution. However, there are several scientific gaps that impede the development and implementation of necessary management strategies to address microplastic pollution. In this paper, we use the California experience as a case study to provide perspective on those science gaps, the current barriers to science affecting management, and the actions scientists can take to best ensure their efforts are of greatest value to policymakers and the management community.

Measures to reduce pesticides leaching into groundwater-based drinking water resources: An appeal to national and local governments, water boards and farmers.

The purpose of this paper is to show that a number of pesticides is found in groundwater and drinking water resources and to define measures that should reduce the pesticide load in groundwater resources for drinking water in the future. Although the pesticide load that enters groundwater bodies in the Netherlands has gradually decreased over the past ten years, good drinking water quality in the future is not guaranteed. Currently, a number of pesticides ise found in groundwater abstracted for the production of drinking water, worldwide. The most frequently found compounds in the Netherlands are the herbicides BAM (2,6-dichlorobenzonitrile), bentazon and mecoprop. In shallow groundwater, the same compounds are generally found as in deeper groundwater that is abstracted for the production of drinking water, mainly bentazon and mecoprop. Additionally, DEET (N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide) is frequently found in shallower groundwater. In order to reduce the pesticide load in groundwater resources for drinking water in the future, 43 measures have been inventoried and ranked based on their scores for 'effectiveness' and for 'practicability'. This paper describes both the most effective measures, with high scores on practicability, and those with limitations regarding practicability. These measures are the most relevant with respect to the frequently found compounds that are still authorised, i.e., bentazon, mecoprop and DEET and, to a lesser extent, glyphosate (due to the presence of its metabolite AMPA (aminomethylphosphonic acid) and glyphosate itself) and isoproturon. The implementation of abstraction-specific 'Drinking Water Protection Files', including the systematic collection of data about the relevant water abstraction and the sources and activities that can negatively affect water quality, is recommended.

Managing pollution from antibiotics manufacturing: charting actors, incentives and disincentives.

BACKGROUND: Emissions of high concentrations of antibiotics from manufacturing sites select for resistant bacteria and may contribute to the emergence of new forms of resistance in pathogens. Many scientists, industry, policy makers and other stakeholders recognize such pollution as an unnecessary and unacceptable risk to global public health. An attempt to assess and reduce such discharges, however, quickly meets with complex realities that need to be understood to identify effective ways to move forward. This paper charts relevant key actor-types, their main stakes and interests, incentives that can motivate them to act to improve the situation, as well as disincentives that may undermine such motivation. METHODS: The actor types and their respective interests have been identified using research literature, publicly available documents, websites, and the knowledge of the authors. RESULTS: Thirty-three different actor-types were identified, representing e.g. commercial actors, public agencies, states and international institutions. These are in complex ways connected by interests that sometimes may conflict and sometimes pull in the same direction. Some actor types can act to create incentives and disincentives for others in this area. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis demonstrates and clarifies the challenges in addressing industrial emissions of antibiotics, notably the complexity of the relations between different types of actors, their international dependency and the need for transparency. The analysis however also suggests possible ways of initiating incentive-chains to eventually improve the prospects of motivating industry to reduce emissions. High-resource consumer states, especially in multinational cooperation, hold a key position to initiate such chains.

[Presence of microplastics in water and the potential impact on public health]. / Presencia de microplásticos en aguas y su potencial impacto en la salud pública.

The use of plastics has increased exponentially over recent years. Difficulties in their recycling and their low degradability result in their accumulation in the environment. Despite their great stability, they are subject to physical and chemical erosion resulting in smaller fragments. Although there is no standard definition of microplastics, the maximum limit of 5 mm has been accepted as a criterion. Plastics, in addition to the consequences on the environment, have a direct effect on living beings, either by ingestion or toxicity. They may also act as a vehicle for invasive species and adsorb other contaminants on their surface such as PCBs, PAHs or DDT. This, increases the toxic effect of their own components such as plasticizers, additives, heavy metals, etc. There is disparity in the published results regarding the presence of microplastics in both water supplies and drinking water and bottled water. There are no standard analytical methods, nor a consensus in the definition and description of microplastics that allow an appropriate comparison of results. In the absence of scientific evidence, it is necessary to study in depth the presence of microplastics in water and the potential effects on health, in order to be able to consider microplastics as a monitoring parameter in drinking water.

El uso de plásticos se ha visto incrementado de manera exponencial en los últimos años. Su difícil reciclaje y su baja capacidad de degradación tienen como consecuencia una acumulación de estos en el medio ambiente. Pese a su gran estabilidad, se ven sometidos a erosión física y química, dando lugar a fragmentos más pequeños. Aunque no hay una definición estandarizada del concepto de microplástico, se ha aceptado el límite máximo de 5 mm como criterio. Los plásticos, además de las consecuencias sobre el medio ambiente, tienen un efecto directo sobre los seres vivos, ya sea por ingestión o por toxicidad. También, pueden actuar como vehículos de especies invasoras y adsorber en su superficie otros contaminantes como los BPCs, los HAPs o el DDT, incrementando así el efecto tóxico propio debido a los componentes que poseen tales como plastificantes, aditivos, metales pesados, etc. Existe disparidad en los resultados publicados en cuanto a la presencia de microplásticos tanto en abastecimientos como en agua de consumo y embotellada. No existe una metodología normalizada de métodos analíticos, como tampoco rigor en la definición y descripción de los microplásticos que permitan la comparación de resultados. Ante la falta de evidencia científica, es necesario profundizar en el estudio sobre la presencia de estos y sus efectos potenciales en la salud, para ser considerado como un parámetro a vigilar en las aguas de consumo humano.

Arsenic in Argentina: Occurrence, human health, legislation and determination.

An overview about the presence of arsenic (As) in groundwaters of Argentina, made by a transdisciplinary group of experts is presented. Aspects on As occurrence, effects of As on human health, regulations regarding the maximum allowable amount of As in drinking water as well as bottled water, and analytical techniques for As determination are presented. The most affected region in Argentina is the Chaco-Pampean plain, covering around 10 million km2, where approximately 88% of 86 groundwater samples collected in 2007 exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline value. In the Salí river basin, As concentrations ranged from 11.4 to 1660 µg/L, with 100% of the samples above the WHO guideline value. In the Argentine Altiplano (Puna) and Subandean valleys, 61% of 62 samples collected from surface and groundwaters exceeded the WHO limit. Thus, it can be estimated that, at present, the population at risk in Argentina reaches around four million people. Pathologies derived from the chronic consumption of As, the metabolism of As in the human body and the effects of the different As chemical forms, gathered under the name HACRE (hidroarsenicismo crónico regional endémico in Spanish, for chronic regional endemic hydroarsenicism) are described. Regarding the regulations, the 10 µg/L limit recommended by the WHO and the United States Environmental Protection Agency has been incorporated in the Argentine Food Code, but the application is still on hold. In addition, there is disparity regarding the maximal admitted values in several provinces. Considerations about the As concentrations in bottled water are also presented. A survey indicates that there are several Argentine laboratories with the suitable equipment for As determination at 10 µg/L, although 66% of them are concentrated in Buenos Aires City, and in the Santa Fe, Córdoba and Buenos Aires provinces. Conclusions and recommendations of this first part are provided.

Comparing Options for Deriving Chemical Ecotoxicity Hazard Values for the European Union Environmental Footprint, Part II.

Using the European Union's Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) ecotoxicity data, this paper compares 3 different approaches to calculate final substance toxicity hazard values using the USEtox approach (chronic EC50 + acute EC50/2), using only acute EC50 equivalent data (EC50eq ), and using only chronic no observed effect concentration equivalent (NOECeq) data. About 4008, 4853, and 5560 substance hazard values could be calculated for the USEtox model, acute only, and chronic only approaches, respectively. The USEtox model provides hazard values similar to the ones based on acute EC50 data only. Although there is a large amount of variability in the ratios, the data support acute EC50eq to chronic NOECeq ratios (calculated as geometric mean) of 10.64, 10.90, and 4.21 for fish, crustaceans, and algae respectively. Comparison of the calculated hazard values with the criteria used by the EU chemical Classification, Labelling, and Packaging regulation (CLP) shows the USEtox model underestimates the number of compounds categorized as very toxic to aquatic life and/or having long-lasting effects. In contrast, use of the chronic NOEC data shows a good agreement with CLP. It is therefore proposed that chronic NOECeq are used to derive substance hazard values to be used in the EU Environmental Footprint. Due to poor data availability for some chemicals, the uncertainty of the final hazard values is expected to be high. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2019;15:796-807. © 2019 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

Using REACH for the EU Environmental Footprint: Building a Usable Ecotoxicity Database, Part I.

The European Union Environmental Footprint (EU-EF) is a harmonized method to measure and communicate the life cycle environmental performance of products and organizations. Among 16 different impact categories included in the EU-EF, 1 focuses on the impact of substances on freshwater ecosystems and requires the use of toxicity data. This paper evaluates the use of the aquatic toxicity data submitted to the EU Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation. It presents an automated computerized approach for selecting substance ecotoxicity values, building on a set of quality and reliability criteria to extract the most relevant data points for calculating the substance specific hazard values. A selected set of criteria led to the exclusion of approximately 82% of the original REACH ecotoxicological data available as of May 2015 due to incomplete initial encoding of the data by the REACH registrant, missing information such as duration of exposure, endpoint measured, species tested, and imprecise toxicity values (i.e., reported with greater than or less than signs). From an initial set of 305 068 ecotoxicity data records available in the REACH database, the final usable database contains 54 353 toxicity records (29 421 characterized as acute and 24 941 as chronic) covering 9 taxonomic groups, with algae, crustaceans, and fish representing 93% of the data. This data set is valuable for assessing the environmental toxicity of the substance contained whether through traditional substance risk assessment, product toxicity labeling, life cycle assessment (LCA) or environmental impact assessment approaches. However, the resulting loss of approximately 82% of the data suggests that changes in procedures used to generate, report, and document the data within REACH are needed to improve data utility for the various assessment approaches. The rules used to select the data to be used are the primary focus of this article. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2019;15:783-795. © 2019 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

Examine all available evidence before making decisions on sunscreen ingredient bans.

Coral bleaching is a worldwide problem and more needs to be done to determine causes and potential solutions. A myopic focus on sunscreen ingredients as the proximate cause of coral bleaching provides consumers a false belief that enacted bans of these ingredients will erase decades of coral reef decline. Instead, these bans will likely only lead to decreased sunscreen use and exposure to potentially harmful UV radiation. A closer examination of all available evidence on the causes of coral reef bleaching needs to be undertaken, including a more thorough appraisal of studies conducted under artificial conditions using higher concentrations of sunscreen ingredients.

Spatial assessment of pesticide leaching risk to groundwater: sub-national decision making and model output aggregation.

BACKGROUND: This study compares standard regulatory methodology (fixed scenarios and models) to spatial modelling at a 1 km landscape resolution for the evaluation of predicted environmental concentrations of pesticides in groundwater. The use of spatial modelling in the decision-making processes is discussed and three options for the sub-national evaluation and restriction of substances based on spatial environmental fate modelling are examined. Wheat and sugar beet are tested with two modified FOCUS substances (A and D) in the PEARL and GeoPEARL models. The 80th percentile value in time and space, aggregated to three different sub-national divisions of interest to a regulator, is used as a regulatory relevant output. RESULTS: Means and medians of predicted environmental concentrations at the national level are not useful summary statistics in the age of extensive and freely available geospatial data. A better statistic to use is the P80 (or other desired threshold/percentile combination) in time and space of predicted environmental concentration, combined with flexible and adaptable sub-divisions of the country based on the desired protective target. CONCLUSION: Tier 3b modelling is shown to provide an increase in localism and regulatory nuance over Tier 1 scenarios when combined with soil and aquifer type sub-national units. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Bioavailability of mercury in power plant wastewater and ambient river samples: Evidence that the regulation of total mercury is not appropriate.

Mercury (Hg) is a neurotoxin that can cause debilitating effects to human and environmental receptors under high exposure conditions. For industrial and municipal point sources that discharge Hg, wastewater limitations on total Hg (THg) concentrations or loads are typical. While this regulatory practice provides simplicity for regulated industry and water resource agencies (i.e., for analytical detection and reporting purposes), it ignores the important considerations of speciation and bioavailability. In this study, water samples were collected from multiple power plant wastewater, simulated mixing zone, and ambient river locations (N = 10 to 20) and were analyzed for bioavailable Hg forms (methylmercury and acid-labile Hg, or BHg), THg, and dissolved Hg. The median concentration of THg in wastewater, mixing zone, and ambient river samples was 7.1, 5.3, and 2.3 ng/L, respectively. The percentages of THg as BHg (median values) were 18.7%, 29.3%, and 8.5% for wastewater, mixing zone, and ambient river samples. The percentages of methylmercury (MeHg) as THg were not statistically different between paired ambient and mixing zone samples (P > 0.05); this result indicates that wastewater did not increase the MeHg fraction when mixed with ambient water. Multiple regression analysis indicated that variation in THg for combined wastewater and mixing zone samples could be adequately explained by pooled water quality parameters (total suspended solids, total dissolved solids, sulfate, total organic carbon, pH, specific conductivity; r2 = 0.51; P < 0.05); however, no significant regression relationships were apparent for the percentage of BHg. These results, at least for the wastewater samples evaluated, indicate that regulating THg is likely overly conservative, and mechanisms to regulate the bioavailable forms of Hg are needed. If Hg fish tissue monitoring data indicate that concentrations are less than consumption thresholds, metal translator methodologies or bioavailability-based criterion techniques (as currently used for non-Hg trace elements) should be allowed for Hg. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2019;15:142-147. © 2018 SETAC.

Levels of regulated POPs in fish samples from the Sava River Basin. Comparison to legislated quality standard values.

Fish samples of different species (i.e. rainbow trout (Onchorhynchus mykiss), barbel (Barbus barbus) and European chub (Squalius cephalus)) were collected from the Sava River Basin for a preliminary investigation of the levels of PCDD/Fs, PCBs, PBDEs and PFAS as a whole. Concentrations of PCDD/Fs, in terms of pg WHO-TEQ/g ww, were below the maximum limit established at the Commission Regulation (EU) No 1259/2011. On the contrary, when DL-PCBs were also included, levels increase up to 11.7 pg WHO-TEQPCDD/Fs+DL-PCBs/g ww in a particular case, with two samples out of a total of ten exceeding the maximum set at this EU Regulation and the EQS established at the European Directive regarding priority substances in the field of water policy (0.0065 ng WHO-TEQPCDD/Fs+DL-PCBs/g ww). A similar trend was also observed for NDL-PCBs, whit the same two samples, from the lower stretch of the river basin, exceeding the maximum limit allowed at the EU Regulation (125 ng/g ww). For PBDEs, levels found in all the samples exceeded the EQS (0.0085 ng/g ww) up to more than a thousand times and 40% of the samples presented PFOS values above the EQS. Data from this study were compared to values reported at the literature for fish from other geographical areas.

Presencia de microplásticos en aguas y su potencial impacto en la salud pública / Presence of microplastics in water and the potential impact on public health

El uso de plásticos se ha visto incrementado de manera exponencial en los últimos años. Su difícil reciclaje y su baja capacidad de degradación tienen como consecuencia una acumulación de estos en el medio ambiente. Pese a su gran estabilidad, se ven sometidos a erosión física y química, dando lugar a fragmentos más pequeños. Aunque no hay una definición estandarizada del concepto de microplástico, se ha aceptado el límite máximo de 5 mm como criterio. Los plásticos, además de las consecuencias sobre el medio ambiente, tienen un efecto directo sobre los seres vivos, ya sea por ingestión o por toxicidad. También, pueden actuar como vehículos de especies invasoras y adsorber en su superficie otros contaminantes como los BPCs, los HAPs o el DDT, incrementando así el efecto tóxico propio debido a los componentes que poseen tales como plastificantes, aditivos, metales pesados, etc. Existe disparidad en los resultados publicados en cuanto a la presencia de microplásticos tanto en abastecimientos como en agua de consumo y embotellada. No existe una metodología normalizada de métodos analíticos, como tampoco rigor en la definición y descripción de los microplásticos que permitan la comparación de resultados. Ante la falta de evidencia científica, es necesario profundizar en el estudio sobre la presencia de estos y sus efectos potenciales en la salud, para ser considerado como un parámetro a vigilar en las aguas de consumo humano

The use of plastics has increased exponentially over recent years. Difficulties in their recycling and their low degradability result in their accumulation in the environment. Despite their great stability, they are subject to physical and chemical erosion resulting in smaller fragments. Although there is no standard definition of microplastics, the maximum limit of 5 mm has been accepted as a criterion. Plastics, in addition to the consequences on the environment, have a direct effect on living beings, either by ingestion or toxicity. They may also act as a vehicle for invasive species and adsorb other contaminants on their surface such as PCBs, PAHs or DDT. This, increases the toxic effect of their own components such as plasticizers, additives, heavy metals, etc. There is disparity in the published results regarding the presence of microplastics in both water supplies and drinking water and bottled water. There are no standard analytical methods, nor a consensus in the definition and description of microplastics that allow an appropriate comparison of results. In the absence of scientific evidence, it is necessary to study in depth the presence of microplastics in water and the potential effects on health, in order to be able to consider microplastics as a monitoring parameter in drinking water

Regulatory Modeling of Pesticide Aquatic Exposures in California's Agricultural Receiving Waters.

For the aquatic exposure assessment of pesticides, the USEPA uses the Variable Volume Water Model (VVWM) to predict the estimated environmental concentrations (EECs) of a pesticide in a water body that receives runoff inputs from the Pesticide Root Zone Model (PRZM). The standard farm pond and additional generalized static and flowing water bodies used in endangered species assessment (aquatic bins) are used by USEPA to model the worst-case aquatic exposure for the nationwide exposure assessment. However, whether or not model results are relevant to state-specific conditions has not been validated. In this study, the USEPA water body scenarios are examined for their capability of providing a conservatively realistic estimate of pesticide aquatic exposures in California's agricultural settings. The sensitivity of modeled EECs to key water body parameters (dimensions, flow, and mass transfer) was explored with a one-at-a-time approach by using the standard farm pond as a baseline. The EECs generated from different USEPA water bodies for the worst-case loading were compared with the monitoring data observed in California's agriculturally influencing water bodies. Results showed that the farm pond EECs well captured the worst-case monitoring data, whereas the aquatic bins EECs, especially the flowing bins, tended to overestimate data. The conceptual model of the standard farm pond was also found to be relevant to the highly vulnerable water bodies in California's agricultural areas. The study confirms that VVWM with the standard farm pond scenario is appropriate for the screening-level regulatory exposure assessment in California's agricultural settings.

Regulations are needed to protect freshwater ecosystems from salinization.

Anthropogenic activities such as mining, agriculture and industrial wastes have increased the rate of salinization of freshwater ecosystems around the world. Despite the known and probable consequences of freshwater salinization, few consequential regulatory standards and management procedures exist. Current regulations are generally inadequate because they are regionally inconsistent, lack legal consequences and have few ion-specific standards. The lack of ion-specific standards is problematic, because each anthropogenic source of freshwater salinization is associated with a distinct set of ions that can present unique social and economic costs. Additionally, the environmental and toxicological consequences of freshwater salinization are often dependent on the occurrence, concentration and ratios of specific ions. Therefore, to protect fresh waters from continued salinization, discrete, ion-specific management and regulatory strategies should be considered for each source of freshwater salinization, using data from standardized, ion-specific monitoring practices. To develop comprehensive monitoring, regulatory, and management guidelines, we recommend the use of co-adaptive, multi-stakeholder approaches that balance environmental, social, and economic costs and benefits associated with freshwater salinization.This article is part of the theme issue 'Salt in freshwaters: causes, ecological consequences and future prospects'.

Parameters for assessing the aquatic environmental impact of cosmetic products.

The cosmetic industry's growing concern about the impact of its supply chain on the environment, sustainability of raw materials, and biodiversity increases the need to ensure that the final product has a lower environmental impact. The objective of this review is to summarize and compare the information available from international organizations and legislation regarding the main criteria used to assess raw materials for aquatic toxicity, as well as the most suitable alternative methods for obtaining assessment parameters. Using the literature available in databases, a review of the scientific literature and international legislation, this work discusses and compares the parameters established by international organizations such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Cradle to Cradle (C2C), as well as European legislation, namely, European Regulation 1272/2008, for assessing environmental impact. Defining the ecotoxicity parameters of the main classes of raw materials in rinse-off cosmetic products can enable the development of products that are more environmentally sustainable, prioritizing substances with less environmental impact.

Disinfection byproduct regulatory compliance surrogates and bromide-associated risk.

Natural and anthropogenic factors can alter bromide concentrations in drinking water sources. Increasing source water bromide concentrations increases the formation and alters the speciation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) formed during drinking water treatment. Brominated DBPs are more toxic than their chlorinated analogs, and thus have a greater impact on human health. However, DBPs are regulated based on the mass sum of DBPs within a given class (e.g., trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids), not based on species-specific risk or extent of bromine incorporation. The regulated surrogate measures are intended to protect against not only the species they directly represent, but also against unregulated DBPs that are not routinely measured. Surrogates that do not incorporate effects of increasing bromide may not adequately capture human health risk associated with drinking water when source water bromide is elevated. The present study analyzes trihalomethanes (THMs), measured as TTHM, with varying source water bromide concentrations, and assesses its correlation with brominated THM, TTHM risk and species-specific THM concentrations and associated risk. Alternative potential surrogates are evaluated to assess their ability to capture THM risk under different source water bromide concentration conditions. The results of the present study indicate that TTHM does not adequately capture risk of the regulated species when source water bromide concentrations are elevated, and thus would also likely be an inadequate surrogate for many unregulated brominated species. Alternative surrogate measures, including THM3 and the bromodichloromethane concentration, are more robust surrogates for species-specific THM risk at varying source water bromide concentrations.

Prevention through policy: Urban macroplastic leakages to the marine environment during extreme rainfall events.

The leakage of large plastic litter (macroplastics) into the ocean is a major environmental problem. A significant fraction of this leakage originates from coastal cities, particularly during extreme rainfall events. As coastal cities continue to grow, finding ways to reduce this macroplastic leakage is extremely pertinent. Here, we explore why and how coastal cities can reduce macroplastic leakages during extreme rainfall events. Using nine global cities as a basis, we establish that while cities actively create policies that reduce plastic leakages, more needs to be done. Nonetheless, these policies are economically, socially and environmentally cobeneficial to the city environment. While the lack of political engagement and economic concerns limit these policies, lacking social motivation and engagement is the largest limitation towards implementing policy. We recommend cities to incentivize citizen and municipal engagement with responsible usage of plastics, cleaning the environment and preparing for future extreme rainfall events.

A review of diazinon use, contamination in surface waters, and regulatory actions in California across water years 1992-2014.

Diazinon is an organophosphorus insecticide that has been widely used in the USA and in California resulting in contamination of surface waters. Several federal and state regulations have been implemented with the aim of reducing its impact to human health and the environment, e.g., the cancellation of residential use products by the USEPA and dormant spray regulations by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. This study reviewed the change in diazinon use and surface water contamination in accordance with the regulatory actions implemented in California over water years 1992-2014. We observed that use amounts began declining when agencies announced the intention to regulate certain use patterns and continued to decline after the implementation of those programs and regulations. The reduction in use amounts led to a downward trend in concentration data and exceedance frequencies in surface waters. Moreover, we concluded that diazinon concentrations in California's surface waters in recent years (i.e., water years 2012-2014) posed a de minimis risk to aquatic organisms.

A review on the application of constructed wetlands for the removal of priority substances and contaminants of emerging concern listed in recently launched EU legislation.

The presence of organic pollutants in the aquatic environment, usually found at trace concentrations (i.e., between ng L-1 and µg L-1 or even lower, known as micropollutants), has been highlighted in recent decades as a worldwide environmental concern due to their difficult elimination by conventional water and wastewater treatment processes. The relevant information on constructed wetlands (CWs) and their application for the removal of a specific group of pollutants, 41 organic priority substances/classes of substances (PSs) and 8 certain other substances with environmental quality standards (EQS) listed in Directive 2013/39/EU as well as 17 contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) of the Watch List of Decision 2015/495/EU, is herein reviewed. Studies were found for 24 PSs and 2 other substances with EQS: octylphenol, nonylphenol, perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, trichloromethane, dichloromethane, 1,2-dichloroethane, pentachlorobenzene, benzene, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, naphthalene, fluoranthene, trifluralin, alachlor, isoproturon, diuron, tributyltin compounds, simazine, atrazine, chlorpyrifos (chlorpyrifos-ethyl), chlorfenvinphos, hexachlorobenzene, pentachlorophenol, endosulfan, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (or DDT) and dieldrin. A few reports were also published for 8 CECs: imidacloprid, erythromycin, clarithromycin, azithromycin, diclofenac, estrone, 17-beta-estradiol and 17-alpha-ethinylestradiol. No references were found for the other 17 PSs, 6 certain other substances with EQS and 9 CECs listed in EU legislation.