Non-Polar Micropollutants in Water Resources

Abstract

The presence of most of the non-polar organic compounds in water resources is a negative side effect of anthropogenic activities. Even though the danger of the input of hydrophobic organics into the biosphere had been recognized several decades ago, and during these decades the use of these chemicals was reduced substantially, non-polar pollutants still pose a severe threat to the environment. The reasons for this phenomenon are the physico-chemical and toxicological properties of these non-polar compounds. Low polarity and a high inertness of these compounds enable their long-term accumulation on solid surfaces that leads to the chemical time bomb effect. After entering a human body or other kind of living organisms they accumulate in biological tissues and, depending on their toxicity and/or toxic effects of their degradation products, they affect living organisms adversely.