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CONFERENCE BACKGROUND
This Conference is organized in the framework of the European Commission Cost Action 636 Xenobiotics in the Urban
Water Cycle.
Xenobiotics (such as heavy metals, metalloids and organic compounds) are of rising concern in the urban water cycle.
In
the past, water supply, urban drainage and wastewater treatment systems were designed primarily to solve conventional problems associated with potable water supply, flood prevention, and sanitation.
As a result, the focus has traditionally
been on ‘conventional’ pollutant parameters, such as BOD, COD, N, P, SS and pathogenic micro-organisms. Nowadays,
however, a multitude of new contaminants have increasingly attracted the concern of scientists and the public. Many of
these xenobiotics can be found throughout the whole urban water cycle, and the need for an integrated understanding of
the sources, flow paths, fate (transport, treatment efficiency, natural attenuation) and impacts of these substances on both
humans and ecosystems are now widely acknowledged.
There are numerous sources of xenobiotics in the urban water systems. For example, chemical pollution in stormwater
and wastewater may be derived from atmospheric washout, erosion of building materials, traffic emissions, pesticide
applications, industrial emissions, and the use of household chemicals, personal care products and pharmaceuticals.
Moreover, foreseeable future increases in the reuse and recycling of rainwater and wastewater for industrial and domestic
non-potable purposes may further increase potential exposure to xenobiotics. Innovative approaches are therefore
needed to address the presence and potential effects of these pollutants in the urban water cycle. Additionally, it is important
to prevent or limit their discharge into surface waters where they may have negative impacts on both chemical water
quality and ecological status as recognized by the EU-Water Framework Directive.
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