A new report has been published by the Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW) on the project carried out by researchers at Glasgow Caledonian University and the James Hutton Institute, “Emerging Contaminants: Informing Scotland’s strategic monitoring and policy approaches on substances of increasing concern”. The aim of this project was to inform, prioritise, and coordinate actionable monitoring and policy-based approaches to identify, assess, and mitigate risks from substances of increasing concern to Scotland’s water environment. Contaminants of increasing concern (CICs) comprise a diverse range of substances and organisms, including chemical groups such as pharmaceuticals and pesticides; biological contaminants such as pathogens and antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) genes; nanomaterials; and microplastics.
The project used a Substance Mapping approach, including literature review, an expert survey and a knowledge sharing workshop, the team found that based on evidence encountered, no CIC groups can be discounted for Scotland and significant data gaps exist on sources, pathways, exposure routes, hazard and risk. Many national and international databases are however available and could be consolidated for Scotland. The research team further recommended partnership working, an international review of policy options, and expansion of research capacity to further refine and fill the knowledge gaps.
Under data sharing, data sufficiency, and cross-organizational working, the One Health Breakthrough Partnership was highlighted as an effective, cross-sector approach for pharmaceuticals, which could possibly be applied to other CIC groups. Additionally, the open-access data visualisation tool on pharmaceutical pollution and prescribing data in Scotland was also highlighted.
The report and annex is available online: https://www.crew.ac.uk/publication/emerging-contaminants-monitoring-policy-approaches