The project aims to thoroughly investigate sites of high potential occurrence of emerging contaminants (ECs), including 12 types of sites across 4 major categories related to high-tech manufacturing, utilities (i.e., water treatment plants, wastewater treatment plants, municipal incinerators, landfilling sites), chemical manusfturing, pharceuticals. This project concerns about 4 major types of ECs including engineered nanomaterials (ENMs), persistent organic contaminants (POPs), pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), and their transport in related environmental media (i.e., wastewater, ash, sludge, sediment, soil and groundwater, biota) in these sites. We collected and analyzed data related ECs’ annual production and usage, environmental fate, ecotoxicity, analytical methods, and environmental risk information. The priority ECs were selected based on the collected information and recommended for further environmental sampling and analysis. This project is a preliminary planning work that does not involve actual sampling and chemical analysis. The major outcomes of this projects are summaried as follows. The project collects relevant data from government departments and Environmental Protection Permit Management Information System (EMS) as well as the Chemical Cloud database from which we screened sites to conduct field visits. Totally, 60 sites were selected and visisted, covering 12 types in 4 major categories. Among them, 36 sites are selected based on their larger operation scales (large ones preferred), usage of selected ECs, geographic location balance, fate of ECs within the sites, etc. for planning of sampling and analyses. Finally, the water treatment plants will be excluded from the environmental investigation, and only 33 target fields will be included. In terms of EC material screening, this project collects 83,682 ECs data. After sorting, and screening, an initial list of 461 EC substances is created. After consideration of their environmental fate, ecological toxicity, and annual usage, 68 ECs that include 20 industrial chemicals, 20 human drugs and antibiotics, 3 perfluorinated substances (PFAS), 5 nanomaterials, 10 pesticides and biocides, and 10 animal drugs, are prioritized and recommended to be included in the environmental sampling and analysis planning. For sampling and analysis planning, a four-year project is recommended with a total of 396 sample collection and budget of $63,746,000 NTD including personnel, transportation, and consumerables. It is noted the budget is estimated assuming that all chemical analyses use different methods that will be developed. In terms of policy development, this report summarizes the current regulatory framework, guidance and inter-ministerial cooperation on source and end-point control in advanced countries for reference by relevant domestic agencies.

Emerging contaminants, Environmental risk assessment, Environmental survey