Analysis of selected emerging contaminants in sewage sludge

Abstract

Pharmaceuticals, personal-care products, steroid sex hormones, illicit drugs, flame retardants and perfluorinated compounds are considered environmental emerging contaminants of particular concern, as many of them display endocrine-disrupting properties. These substances released as consequence of human activities enter the wastewater network after use in households and industry. Due to their physico-chemical properties, they tend to accumulate in sewage sludge during wastewater treatment, so the common practice of spreading sewage sludge over agricultural land can constitute a source of many important xenobiotic compounds. This article provides an overview of the analytical methodologies available for the quantitative determination and the reported levels of these compounds in sewage sludge. Also, because surfactants are another group of organic contaminants with tendency to accumulate in sewage sludge, we include them in this work. © 2009.