Double dip: Sampling contaminants of emerging concern two ways improves accuracy

Two are better than one when it comes to sampling methods for tracking the location and timing of toxic chemical contamination in waterways, according to researchers at Penn State. The team tested two typical sampling approaches and found that both are needed to accurately assess the variety and concentration of contaminants of emerging concern—pharmaceuticals, personal care products, livestock manure-borne hormones, veterinary antibiotics and pesticides—in a watershed.