Contaminants of Emerging Concern

Official Position Statement Approved by WEF

Date of Approval: March 2, 2026

Expiration Date: March 31, 2031

Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) represent a diverse group of primarily human-created substances increasingly detected in water environments, often without comprehensive understanding of their health and ecological impacts. WEF is concerned about the presence of CECs in our communities and the knowledge gaps around health impacts, fate and transport, treatment, disposal, and safe handling of the countless compounds that have been introduced into global commerce. Water professionals are dedicated to responsibly managing the risk of CECs in water, wastewater, and biosolids. The water community stands as a last line of defense against chemical, physical, biological, and radiological contamination. To ensure long term protection from contaminants of emerging concern, policy makers need to address the source of contamination before it enters the water cycle and ensure robust and ongoing investment in water infrastructure to address contaminants in the long term.

READ WEF'S OFFICIAL POSITION STATEMENT ON CONTAMINANTS OF EMERGING CONCERN