European Commission surveys on environmental issues indicate that public perception ranks aquatic pollution as a major concern. Recent attention has focused on ‘emerging’ contaminants that are released primarily from waste water outfalls and are not removed through the treatment processes. Professor James W. Readman (University of Plymouth and Plymouth Marine Laboratory) will describe a variety of analytical techniques for the determination of a broad range of emerging and priority pollutants including carcinogens, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, endocrine disrupters, antifoulants and nanoparticles.