24th Pacific Science Congress (PSC-24)

With the rapid advancement of industrialization, the continuous emergence of new pollutants from typical industrial sources has raised increasing environmental and health concerns. Identifying and regulating these newly detected toxic substances is now recognized as a crucial step for ensuring effective environmental management. In this study, we present a targeted workflow designed to establish priority monitoring inventories for organic pollutants emitted from typical industrial sources, including but not limited to metal smelting, power generation, and solid waste incineration. This workflow integrates comprehensive nontargeted compound identification, environmental behavior prediction, and emission risk assessment.
An example is given for the waste incineration. A total of 174 stack gas samples were collected from 29 representative industrial facilities across China. Using advanced nontargeted analytical techniques, we identified 646 organic compounds with potential environmental relevance. Each compound was systematically evaluated for toxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation potential, utilizing databases such as TOXCAST (US EPA) and quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) models. By considering emission characteristics across different seasons and industry types, we developed a priority control list comprising 28 high-risk organic pollutants. Subsequent risk assessments demonstrated significant regional variations in the emission profiles and potential hazards. When implementing targeted controls for the priority pollutants, we estimate an average emission risk reduction of 71.4% across various industrial sectors globally.
These findings provide an important scientific basis and practical pathway for the monitoring and regulation of new industrial pollutants, facilitating more effective environmental governance and supporting the sustainable development of industrial activities.
 

Contaminants of emerging concern