Products of the chemical and pharmaceutical industries are omnipresent in our everyday life for example as drugs, disinfectants contrast media dyes pesticides paints laundry detergents, etc They make valuable contributions to our health and high living standard However, their use is often associated with pollution of the environment While accidental emissions of wastes and wastewater from industrial production have been drastically reduced by various measures in the last few decades, these products end up in the aquatic environment even after appropriate use Nowadays the products themselves are the main source of environmental pollution from the chemical and pharmaceutical industries They represent an increasing risk for water quality The paper describes which substances are summarized by the term ``emerging contaminants Furthermore it discusses the threats to water quality and to future sustainable water management in view of their presence in the aquatic environment Some examples of emerging contaminants are briefly described