Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

Merged - 5.04 - From Awareness to Action: Insights into Contaminants of Emerging Concern

Description

Background- Emerging contaminants (ECs) are novel synthetic or naturally occurring chemicals or biological agents including personal care products (PCPs), pharmaceuticals, pesticides, industrial chemicals, micro/nano plastics (MNPs), nanomaterials, per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), emerging pathogens, cyanotoxins, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and other natural toxins, that are increasingly detected in various environmental matrices (Puri et al., 2023; Wang et al., 2024). These pollutants exhibit complex environmental fates, bioaccumulation potential and are hazardous to ecosystem and organisms including humans by disrupting the endocrine function, causing oxidative stress and leading to chronic toxicity (Li et al., 2024). Despite increasing detection through various techniques such as high-resolution mass spectrometry and bioassays, these pollutants still remain inadequately addressed within existing regulatory frameworks (Meena et al., 2025). Rapid industrialization, urbanization and resource overuse exacerbated exposure risks in the aquatic, terrestrial and other atmospheric compartments via agricultural runoff, atmospheric deposition, waste mismanagement and wastewater discharge, highlighting urgency for scientifically informed policies (Boahen et al., 2025). The session aligns with 2026 SETAC theme, “Rethinking Environmental Balance through Science and Innovation” and confronts how to implement multidimensional data (analytical, monitoring, risk assessment) into adaptive regulations, amid increasing global change. Scope- The proposed session will: • Identify key categories of ECs and their environmental impacts with focus on Asia- Pacific contexts. • Discuss cutting edge techniques for EC detection, quantification and risk assessment. • Explore policies and regulatory strategies across different countries/regions including strength and gaps, hence synthesizing regulatory strategies across jurisdiction. • Highlight case studies integrating scientific findings into policy decisions and governance.

Chair(s)

Reshma Sinha Central University of Himachal Pradesh India
Radhika Sharma CSK HP KV Palampur India
Divya Jyoti Lovely Professional University India
Deepa Sharma Central University of Himachal Pradesh India