2015 American Chemical Society. The occurrence, distribution and fate of emerging micropollutants (EMs) is of particular concern due to their toxicity and potential risks to human health and ecology. Research on EMs is multidisciplinary in nature primarily due to the convergence of several disciplines such as chemistry, chemical engineering, environmental chemistry, biology, biochemistry, environmental sciences and engineering, agricultural engineering, microbiology, molecular biology, and biomedical engineering. Not surprisingly, the environmental occurrence, distribution and fate of EMs has become a hotly debated topic in the scientific community. Occurrence of EMs in various environmental matrices such as air, soil, surface water and groundwater has been widely reported in various scientific journals. The continued occurrence of EMs could have severe implications to human health and ecology. This chapter introduces the reader, the sources, pathways, fate and distribution of EMs in the environment.
