Groundwater is the main source of freshwater in the European Union, yet freshwaters are polluted by organic contaminants if contaminants are not efficiently removed in wastewater treatment plants. Here we review the occurrence, fate, and risk assessment of organic contaminants included in the surface water watch list of the European groundwater bodies. This list includes 15 compounds: the hormones estrone, 17˗β˗estradiol and 17˗α˗ethinylestradiol; the pesticides methiocarb, metaflumizone, imidacloprid, thiacloprid, thiamethoxam, clothianidin and acetamiprid; and the antibiotics amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, azithromycin, clarithromycin and erythromycin. We found that while contaminants commonly occur at low levels of few nanograms per L or are not detected in natural waters, there is an increasing number of reports displaying concentrations above 100 ng/L. Surface waters are commonly more contaminated than groundwater, suggesting that contaminants are removed in groundwater aquifers, e.g. by sorption or biodegradation. The estimated risk following water drinking by humans is higher for infants than for adults. Nonetheless, on the average, groundwater consumption does not pose a risk for human health at the reported groundwater concentrations. Risk assessment using fish, plants, algae, and invertebrates shows that only few species are impacted by contaminants, e.g. Americamysis bahia, Mysidopsis bahia, and Daphnia magna by pesticides; and the plant Lemna minor and the algae Microcystis aeruginosa by the antibiotics ciprofloxacin and erythromycin.

地下水是欧盟淡水的主要来源，但如果污水处理厂未能有效去除污染物，淡水就会受到有机污染物的污染。在这里，我们回顾了欧洲地下水体地表水观察名单中包含的有机污染物的发生、归宿和风险评估。此列表包括 15 种化合物：激素雌酮、17˗ β ˗雌二醇和 17˗ α˗炔雌醇；杀虫剂甲硫威、甲氟虫腙、吡虫啉、噻虫啉、噻虫嗪、噻虫胺和啶虫脒；以及抗生素阿莫西林、环丙沙星、阿奇霉素、克拉霉素和红霉素。我们发现，虽然污染物通常以每升几纳克的低水平出现或在天然水中未检测到，但越来越多的报告显示浓度高于 100 ng/L。地表水通常比地下水更受污染，这表明地下水含水层中的污染物被去除，例如通过吸附或生物降解。婴儿喝水后的估计风险高于成人。尽管如此，平均而言，在报告的地下水浓度下，地下水消耗不会对人类健康构成风险。使用鱼类进行风险评估，Americamysis bahia、Mysidopsis bahia和Daphnia magna杀虫剂；以及由抗生素环丙沙星和红霉素组成的植物Lemna minor和藻类Microcystis aeruginosa 。