White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Unveils New Plan to Advance Research on Emerging Contaminants

On Friday, August 5, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) unveiled a new research initiative on emerging contaminants in drinking water – the National Emerging Contaminants Research Initiative (NECRI). The national vision is to conduct research to provide access to clean drinking water in the face of a continuouse stream of emerging contaminants.

This new report outlines a Federal strategy to address critical research gaps related to detecting and assessing emerging contaminants in drinking water, as well as identifying and mitigating the adverse health effects those contaminants cause. The report also outlines strategic steps needed to more effectively track, identify, and mitigate contaminants of emerging concern, (CECs) which have been traditionally difficult to detect in drinking water.