Protecting the environment and human health from persistent, mobile, and toxic substances

Protecting the environment and human health from persistent, mobile, and toxic substances PMT substances pose a worrying impact to human health and the environment. This article highlights why it’s crucial to recognize the need for integrated prevention and remediation strategies to effectively combat the challenges these pollutants present. Safe and clean drinking water is essential for human life. However, a new generation of pollutants has been increasing in concentration in the sources of drinking water as well as being found more commonly in human blood. These pollutants are called persistent, mobile, and toxic (PMT) substances and very persistent and very mobile (vPvM) substances. By nature, these substances do not break down in the environment over appreciable timescales (persistent). They can travel long distances with water (mobile) and, in some cases, cause negative effects on the ecosystem and humans (toxic).