SYNOPSIS

Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) refer to a diverse group of pollutants that are not traditionally monitored in water systems but are increasingly recognized as potential threats to human and environmental health.

CECs are typically not regulated under current environmental laws and include a wide array of chemical compounds. CECs can be found in a range of product categories including pharmaceuticals, medicines, personal care items, household cleaning products, paper products, flame retardants, food additives, microplastics, nanomaterials, pesticides, lawn care, agricultural and industrial products among others. Many of them are persistent (lack the ability to break down, remaining in the environment for a long time), can easily spread through air and water, and have high toxicity (in some cases mimicking natural hormones in humans and other species).

In this sharing session, the presence of selected CECs in our environment is discussed, as well as some of the actions and measures carried out by governments globally to mitigate and control the prevalence of CECs.


BIODATA OF SPEAKER

Ms. Chua Li Ying leads the Water Resources Team in EREAurecon Malaysia. She has more than 10 years of experience in river-related water quality assessments and studies in both Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia. Li Ying’s focus areas are in water resources and quality and has been involved in several related projects including the review of the National Water Quality Standards (NWQS) and Water Quality Index (WQI), the drafting of the Sabah State Water Activities Management Policy and Guidelines and in the development of Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for Sg. Semenyih Basin, Selangor and Sg. Inanam Basin, Sabah. She holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s in Environmental Science from Universiti Malaysia Sabah.