Endocrine-disrupting compounds can affect the human endocrine system and pose a threat to fetal development and young children. There is also evidence that pharmaceuticals and personal care products can adversely affect humans and aquatic organisms.
 

Dr Ormeci, Canada Research Chair in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering said: “It’s urgent that we find new, effective and affordable technologies to remove these substances as traditional treatment processes used at treatment plants are neither successful nor designed to remove these compounds.”
 

Drs Ormeci and Lai are using polymeric particles with nano-structures which can be engineered to selectively remove the harmful compounds or remove several of these compounds simultaneously as a cleanup step after water treatment. The technology is low-cost and does not require major changes to the existing water treatment plant infrastructure.
 

Dr. Lai, professor in the Department of Chemistry added: “The new technologies we are developing that incorporate both sound engineering practices and analytical chemistry are a promising solution to the pressing problem associated with the long-term effects of emerging compounds on humans, and aquatic and terrestrial organisms.”