Updating Water Quality Standards Criteria Considering Chemical Mixtures in the Context of Climate Change

Abstract

Human activity has rapidly impacted the world; however, regulations have not kept pace to protect human life and the environment. Chemical pollution and climate change are consequences of the accelerated development that have not been sufficiently incorporated in regulations regarding water quality. This paper explores chemical pollution and climate change as criteria for water quality regulation updates, and it examines global north–south relations using a thorough literature review including papers and relevant regulations regarding surface water standards in different countries and proposes ways forward for the field of water quality. Water Quality Standards (WQS) definitions are defined by regulatory bodies that primarily consider toxicological assays provided by companies or literature-based research on emerging compounds, primarily conducted in laboratory conditions that differ from realistic environments, where compounds may be co-exposed to other contaminants and under variable temperatures. The research provided evidence that discussions on updating WQS to account for chemical mixtures are advanced in some countries such as the Netherlands, but implementation remains necessary. Furthermore, updates in WQS regarding climate change focus mostly on avoiding the climate crisis by reducing emissions. However, updates are not implemented rapidly enough to enhance protection under realistic scenarios.