Addressing the challenges of new pollutants in China: current status, knowledge gaps, and strategic recommendations

Abstract New pollutants, including but not limited to persistent organic pollutants, endocrine disrupting compounds, antibiotics and microplastics, are characterized by their persistence, bioaccumulation and toxicity. These pollutants pose potential risks to ecological environment and human health. To mitigate the risks of new pollutants, it is imperative to implement comprehensive environmental risk control measures throughout their lifecycle, including the prohibition of production and usage, reduction of process emissions, and implementation of end-of-pipe treatment. However, significant gaps remain in addressing the multifaceted challenges by the emergence of ecological health risks, which present substantial obstacles to prevention and control efforts. Although China has implemented pollution prevention and control policies that have demonstrated effectiveness in specific domains, challenges persist due to factors such as a weak industrial foundation, delayed research and development of technologies, and inadequate governance capacity. To overcome these hurdles, this paper proposes a series of measures aimed at enhancing China's research capabilities on new pollutants, thereby contributing to the advancement of sustainable development and the safeguarding of public health. Graphical Abstract