Pharmaceuticals, Personal Care Products, and Other Unregulated Substances

We use a variety of products to enhance our quality of life. These products include pharmaceuticals; personal care products like shampoo, dish soap, perfume, and baby wipes; plastic products; and a whole host of other household products. As a result of our use, these things make their way into wastewater at generally minute concentrations. While conventional wastewater treatment and advanced treatment significantly reduce the amount of these substances going into the environment, modern analytical methods are capable of detecting substances at a level far below their public and environmental health relevance.