Analysis of emerging contaminants

In this overview chapter we will focus on the importance of emerging contaminants and their presence in the environment, as well as giving a description of this book. The environmental issue of emerging contaminants is tied to the analysis of wastewater samples using the new analytical methods of the last decade, especially LC/MS and LC/MS/MS. Thus, this book focuses on applications of LC/MS/MS to analyze unknowns in the aquatic environment. Emerging contaminants are defined as compounds that are not currently covered by existing regulations of water quality, that have not been previously studied, and that are thought to be a possible threat to environmental health and safety.. In particular the compounds that are addressed include pharmaceuticals, personal care products, surfactants, and pesticide degradates. The book has three main sections that address these issues with special attention to the analytical methods of mass spectrometry (such as triple quadrupoles, ion-traps, and quadrupole time-of-flight analyzers). All the different important aspects on today's emerging contaminants have been covered throughout the chapters.