Two people facing a computer screen displaying graphs. Photo.
In a control room at the laboratory, results of a mass spectrometry analysis can be followed and a first indication of which substances are present in the water samples can be obtained. It requires both chemical expertise and sophisticated instruments to achieve robust results. Photo: Jenny Svennås-Gillner

Drinking water

Page reviewed:  17/05/2025

Drinking water is our most important food. In Sweden, each person consumes about 2 to 2.5 liters daily for drinking and cooking. Given this high usage, it is important to acknowledge that even low intake doses of hazardous pollutants can potentially lead to serious health effects.

Early detection of harmful substances in drinking water is essential to preventing adverse health outcomes. By deepening our knowledge about these risks and how they can be mitigated, we can support water producers and authorities in making informed decisions about upstream work and treatment techniques at the drinking water plants. 

The challenges

Ensuring clean drinking water for the future requires a deeper understanding of challenges such as pollution by organic micropollutants, algae blooms, climate change and antimicrobial resistance. There are tens of thousands chemical substances in the environment that potentially pose a risk to human and environmental health. A tiny fraction of these contaminants are included in standard monitoring programs, although many more are potentially hazardous and not trapped by technical barriers in the drinking water treatment plants. Limited knowledge about persistent, mobile and toxic (PMT) substances increases the risk of harm to the environment, wildlife, and humans.

Direction of our research

Expanding research and improving detection methods is crucial in safeguarding water quality and public health. At our department, we develop methods for detecting hazardous substances in water and evaluate the effectiveness of various treatment techniques. Among other things, we evaluate and apply an integrated chemical-bioanalytical methodology that enables us to understand what chemical substances in the water are triggering toxic effects.

- We need to develop sensitive targeted analysis and comprehensive screening methods to better understand chemical risks in drinking water. Along with this, the society is in urgent need of a new praxis for risk assessment of chemicals in water to cover up for the huge knowledge gaps and challenges that we face today, says Karin Wiberg, who participates in interdisciplinary research projects together with the water sector aiming at reaching this transition.

Examples of ongoing research projects

To ensure healthy drinking water, the National Food Agency (SLV) decided on a new limit of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) allowed in municipal drinking water (a total of 4 ng/L of four PFAS). Based on a 2021 SLV survey, over 2 million Swedish consumers receive water exceeding the proposed limits. Therefore, the SIDWater project is devoted to ensuring the sustainability of innovative drinking water treatment solutions for large-scale water supply and reuse.

- We develop new innovative treatment processes to remove contaminants to stop the perpetual cycle of “treat and release” in the aquatic environment. We focus on removing PFAS, dissolved organic matter (DOM) and other emerging contaminants, says Lutz Ahrens.

Water in a circular economy

In Sweden, 50% of drinking water is derived from groundwater, and it is therefore of vital importance to ensure good groundwater quality. We develop analytical methods to detect and quantify antimicrobials' concentrations in wastewater and groundwater.

In a circular economy, we also want sustainable water usage and therefore increasingly consider wastewater as an alternative resource of water and nutrients. This needs to be safe from potential risks of emerging contaminants and the spread of antimicrobial resistance, which are therefore focuses of research, says Foon Yin Lai.

Examples of research projects related to circular use of water: REASSURE, STOP-ARG.

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