Occurrence of PCPs in Natural Waters from Europe

In the framework of the study of emerging pollutants in the aquatic environment, personal care products (PCPs) play a relevant role as they are used in everyday life. They are continuously introduced into the natural water compartment, mainly through treated and untreated sewage but also via different pathways. This chapter describes the "state of the art" of the distribution and impact of PCPs on European natural waters (rivers, lakes, groundwater, drinking water, etc.). An extensive review of the recent literature has been carried out, gathering together the most relevant studies and presenting the results in five sections: fragrances, UV filters, detergents, preservatives, and repellents. In each section, data on the main molecules employed in PCP formulations are reported and compared. The physicochemical properties of many PCP compounds are summarized in the respective tables along with an additional table listing the measured concentrations of all PCPs detected in waters all over Europe.