A community-guided approach to monitoring contaminants of emerging concern in freshwater systems using passive samplers.

ABSTRACT: Chemical pollution in the aquatic environment is a global issue, representing a threat to human and environmental health, especially for unregulated contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). Identifying and prioritising pollution sources requires high spatio-temporal resolution data and strategic site selection; here, local knowledge provides valuable insight. This study evaluated a community-guided approach for monitoring CECs in freshwater systems using a miniaturised 3D-printed passive sampler device (3D-PSD). Seventeen citizen scientists from Sheffield, Norwich, and London (England) selected sites along their local rivers and were trained to deploy 3D-PSDs and collect water samples. A total of 51 CECs were quantified in the water and passive sampler extracts, with ketamine, lidocaine, t

SUBMITTER: Richardson AK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12863633 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature