As the global population continues its relentless upward trajectory, coupled with rapid urban expansion and intensified agro-industrial endeavors, the demand for freshwater resources is projected to surge by an alarming 55% by the year 2050. This dramatic escalation occurs against a backdrop marked by chronic water scarcity, uneven spatial and temporal distribution of water supplies, expanding privatization of this indispensable public good, and deteriorating water quality, particularly in developing nations where infrastructure and governance often lag behind burgeoning needs. The interplay of these factors generates a complex and precarious water security landscape, threatening human health, ecosystems, and socio-economic stability worldwide.
Beyond mere resource depletion, water scarcity now intersects with geopolitical, social, and environmental stressors, fueling forced migrations, exacerbating social discord, and even triggering armed conflicts. Not merely a looming threat, this crisis manifests in present-day realities: from 1970 to 2000 alone, global migration attributable to water shortages experienced a 10% increase. Recent findings, notably from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) 2024 global water report, reveal that 2.2 billion people still lack access to safely managed drinking water. The challenge intensifies as nearly half the global population faces acute water scarcity at some point annually, with a quarter enduring “extremely high” water stress, underscoring the urgent need for innovative monitoring and mitigation strategies.
In the forefront of addressing these challenges, the journal Frontiers in Water has curated a comprehensive dossier titled “Emerging Water Contaminants in Developing Countries: Detection, Monitoring, and Impact of Xenobiotics.” This collection amalgamates cutting-edge research examining not only traditional pollutants but also an expanding and insidious class of contaminants—emerging pollutants—that threaten water quality in low- and middle-income countries. Spearheading this scientific discourse is Geonildo Rodrigo Disner, a distinguished researcher from the Butantan Institute in São Paulo, affiliated with the Center for Toxins, Immune Response and Cell Signaling (CeTICS), a FAPESP-funded Research, Innovation and Dissemination Center (RIDC). Disner’s editorial leadership in presenting this dossier spotlights the nuances and technical intricacies of this emerging contamination landscape.
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Emerging contaminants encompass a diverse array of synthetic and naturally occurring compounds that have recently gained recognition due to their pervasive presence and potential health impacts. Unlike conventional indicators such as fecal coliform bacteria—which signify inadequate sewage treatment—these novel pollutants include agricultural pesticides, fuel additives, plasticizers, pharmaceuticals (notably antibiotics, analgesics, and hormones), personal hygiene products, and various cosmetic chemicals. While these substances are not brand new to science, their detection in unprecedented concentrations and environmental contexts catalyzes growing concern. Specific herbicides, such as diuron, glyphosate, atrazine, and 2,4-D, widely applied across staple crops like sugarcane, soybeans, corn, cotton, and sorghum, represent prominent examples leading to bioaccumulation and ecosystem perturbation.
One of the principal challenges stems from the resilience of these contaminants to conventional water treatment methods. Standard purification infrastructures primarily address coarse materials, suspended solids, organic load, and microbial populations but are ill-equipped to degrade or remove complex xenobiotics. Consequently, these pollutants persist in freshwater systems, accumulating in sediments and biota. Their presence at even minuscule concentrations can trigger toxicological effects, particularly as many act as endocrine disruptors, interfering with hormone regulation and reproductive systems across taxa. This chronic, often sub-lethal exposure carries profound implications not only for aquatic organisms but also for human populations reliant on contaminated water for consumption, agriculture, and sanitation.
Water bodies function as ultimate sinks for diverse pollutants introduced via multiple environmental pathways, including atmospheric deposition, surface runoff, and leaching from soils. Hence, emerging contaminants permeate regions far beyond their points of origin, migrating downstream and across ecological boundaries. Disner emphasizes that this transboundary contamination complicates management and regulatory efforts, especially where monitoring is sporadic and legislation on emergent pollutants remains nascent or absent. Data from São Paulo’s sophisticated Water Quality Surveillance Information System (SISAGUA) illustrates the inadequacy of current practices, having detected residues of all 27 pesticides tested in municipal water supplies, despite advanced treatment infrastructure, reflecting the systemic pressures on regional water resources.
The dossier’s multifaceted studies delve into geographically diverse impacts and detection methodologies, painting a global picture of emerging contaminant challenges. For instance, Sri Lankan research highlights the correlation between heavy metal contamination in groundwater and rice—a staple food crop—and the alarming prevalence of chronic kidney disease in affected communities. Meanwhile, investigations in Bangladesh expose the contamination of commercially available bottled water by arsenic and pathogenic microorganisms, underscoring the public health risks even in packaged drinking water. Brazilian scientists from São Paulo State University (UNESP) contribute experimental toxicological insights by examining diuron and its metabolites’ effects using zebrafish (Danio rerio) models, a recognized proxy for ecotoxicological assessments with translational relevance to vertebrate health.
Complementing pollution issues, broader socio-environmental phenomena exacerbate water insecurity. Climate change-driven extreme weather events—major floods as witnessed recently in Rio Grande do Sul and prolonged droughts afflicting over 1.4 billion people worldwide between 2002 and 2021—disrupt hydrological cycles, infrastructure integrity, and water availability. These extremes disproportionately affect vulnerable regions, intensifying competition for dwindling resources. Compounding these challenges, approximately 40% of the human population inhabits transboundary river and lake basins, where water governance complexity escalates due to insufficient cooperative agreements. Only about 20% of countries sharing such basins maintain joint, equitable water management treaties, magnifying risks of interstate tension and conflict.
As water emerges as a critical geostrategic resource, the stakes transcend environmental and health dimensions, venturing into political and economic domains. Disner stresses the perils of widespread water privatization, which has the potential to convert this vital asset into a vehicle for power and control reminiscent of fossil fuel geopolitics but with potentially more immediate humanitarian consequences. Advocating for recognizing water as a fundamental human right, he underscores that governance should prioritize universal access not only to sufficient quantities but also to safe, high-quality water. Ensuring the State’s duty in guaranteeing potable water embodies both ethical obligation and pragmatic necessity for sustainable development.
Mitigation strategies articulated by the dossier’s contributors emphasize proactive pollutant source control, invoking the precautionary principle to forestall contamination before detection thresholds are breached. Remediation of already tainted environments presents another critical avenue, though often hindered by financial and technical constraints in the affected regions. Establishing robust regulatory frameworks and dedicated monitoring programs targeting emerging contaminants is crucial to inform policy and public health interventions. These actions align closely with advancing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 6—clean water and sanitation—reflecting interconnected goals of health, environmental stewardship, and social equity.
The dossier thus positions itself at the confluence of science, policy, and social justice, expanding the discourse around water pollution beyond conventional pollutants to encompass complex xenobiotics. It conveys a clarion call for integrated, interdisciplinary engagement—encompassing analytical chemistry, toxicology, ecology, engineering, and governance—to address the multifaceted water quality challenges faced by developing countries. Enhanced international collaboration, capacity building, and sustained funding commitments represent indispensable components to elevate monitoring capabilities and develop innovative treatment technologies tailored to these emergent threats.
Geonildo Rodrigo Disner’s contribution, supported by a postdoctoral scholarship from FAPESP—the São Paulo Research Foundation—exemplifies the caliber of coordinated research necessary to unravel and confront these environmental health crises. FAPESP’s model of fostering international partnerships and investing in high-impact science underscores the critical role of sustained institutional support in translating scientific discovery into tangible societal benefits. As freshwater resources become increasingly contested, the integrative efforts highlighted in this dossier illuminate pathways toward safeguarding water quality, ecosystem integrity, and human well-being amid mounting global pressures.
Subject of Research: Emerging water contaminants, their detection, monitoring, and impact in developing countries.
Article Title: Emerging Water Contaminants in Developing Countries: Detection, Monitoring, and Impact of Xenobiotics
News Publication Date: 24-Mar-2025
Web References:
UNESCO 2024 Report on Global Water Resources: https://www.unesco.org/reports/wwdr/en
Frontiers in Water Dossier: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/58353/emerging-water-contaminants-in-developing-countries-detection-monitoring-and-impact-of-xenobiotics/magazine
Editorial Article DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2025.1584752
References:
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2024). World Water Development Report.
Disner, G. R. et al. (2025). Editorial: Emerging Water Contaminants in Developing Countries: Detection, Monitoring, and Impact of Xenobiotics. Frontiers in Water, DOI:10.3389/frwa.2025.1584752.
Keywords: water pollution, emerging contaminants, pesticides, antibiotics, sewage treatment, endocrine disruptors, environmental policy, water scarcity, toxicology, environmental health, sustainable development, water governance
Tags: access to safely managed drinking waterchronic water scarcity issuesemerging pollutants in waterforced migration due to water crisisfreshwater resource demand increasegeopolitical stress and water scarcityimpact of urban expansion on waterprivatization of water resourcessocial implications of water shortagesUNESCO global water report findingswater crisis in developing countrieswater quality deterioration