November 2022 issue

Volume 67, Issue 11

This final story in our series celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act discusses recent research on emerging contaminants–chemicals suspected of harming people and the environment. From “forever chemicals” to disinfection by-products, and from pharmaceuticals to the lithium batteries that we too often toss in the trash, these pollutants are resulting in unintended consequences that scientists are working hard to understand. See story on p. 6. Cover photo shows sampling for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in a stream that wastewater discharges into. Photo by Tom Campbell, Purdue.