Electrochemical immunosensors: Application to surveillance of contaminants of emerging concern in aquatic ecosystems

Abstract

Promoted by the world population growth, and associated with the inefficiency of wastewater treatments, the levels of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) have been rising, negatively affecting environmental health as a whole. The present review addresses the topic of surveillance of CECs (pharmaceutical drugs, pesticides, plasticizers, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polycyclic biphenyls) in aquatic ecosystems and the opportunity that electrochemical immunosensors may have in tackling this environmental issue and helping to implement regulatory and preventive measures. The reported electrochemical immunosensors have been achieving suitable sensitivity (μg/L–pg/L but down to zg/L LOD was achieved) as well as excellent selectivity and accuracy. However, many of these biosensors are in their infancy of development, transitioning from laboratory experiments to on-site applications. Thus, there is still room for their improvement to become the analytical tools of choice for environmental analysis, namely concerning miniaturization, portability, reusability, sustainability of the (nano)materials employed, and multiplexing capability.