Ecological safety hazards of wastewater

Abstract This chapter reviews the ecological safety hazards arising from the high-risk pollutants (HRPs) in wastewater mainly including hazardous effects of heavy metals, antibiotics, endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), and pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) on the aquatic and terrestrial organisms, in their growth and development toxicity, genotoxicity, immune toxicity, and lethal effects. We also have summarizewd the information regarding the changes in the compositions and biodiversity of microbial communities in the environment resulting from the discharge of wastewater containing HRPs, as well as the damages on the service functions of the ecosystem. It is expected that the chapter can help to comprehensively and systematically understand the potential ecological risk induced by the HRPs in wastewater.