S .No. Source Type Category Emerging Contaminant Country Reference
1. WWTP, Landfill leachate, Surface water Personal Care Products Cosmetics, UV Filters Mexico Wang et al.,2024; Shahid et al.,2014; Nadia et al.,2022
2. Domestic and industrial wastewater Industrial chemicals Plasticizers, Microplastics (MPs) Portugal Shahid et al.,2014; Nadia et al.,2022
3. Agricultural runoffs, Sewage treatment plants, Sediments, Soil, Surface water Herbicides/ Pesticides Methiocarb, Perchlorate, Dicofol, Oxadiazon Mexico Nadia et al., 2022; Wang et al.,2024
4. Hospital and Industrial wastewater, Surface water, WWTP Pharmaceuticals anti-inflammatory medicines, antidepressant, antibiotics : Diazepam, ciprofloxacin Columbia Shahid et al.,2014; Nadia et al.,2022
5. Landfills, WWTPs, Sewage, Urban runoff Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) PCBs, PCDDs, PCDFs, PBDEs China Nguyen et al.,2020; Bolagay et al.,2021
6. Drinking and surface water, Sediments, Soil, Secondary sludge Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) Estrone, Steroid hormones: PAEs, Bisphenols India Wang et al.,2024; Wee and Aris.,2021
7. Mining and minerals processing industrial waste water Surfactants Ionic and non ionic surfactants. Tweens (Polysorbates) and sodium lauryl sulphate Japan Shahid et al.,2014; Murakami et al.,2011
8. Recycling plants, Hospital waste water, Petroleum refineries Rare earth elements (REEs) 15 lanthanide group elements China, Brazil, Spain Gwenzi et al.,2018
9. Nuclear power plants, Pacific ocean Radionuclides/ Nuclear waste H-3, Sr-90, Cs-137, I-129, Tc-99 Japan Wang et al.,2024
10. Accidental spillages, rainwater runoff Nanoparticles CNPs, AgNPs, Carbon dots US Wang et al.,2024; 25
11 Agriculture, Livestock, Farming and Hospitals waste water Antibiotic- resistant micro- organisms Azithromycin, Sulfamethoxazole US Wang et al.,2024; Vasallo et al.,2021 25
12. Wetlands, Lakes, Reservoirs, Streams, Rivers Algal toxins Cytotoxins, Microcystin Australia Quer et al.,2024; Oliveira et al.,2021
13 Contaminates/ effected/ endemic areas Bioterrorism Biological weapons (Anthrax, Salmonella typhimurium) US Green MBChB et al.,2019 Oliveira et al.,2021
14. Research lab effluents Other biological contaminants Virus, Protein, Different types of RNA China Wang et al.,2024; Crini et al.,2022