Furthermore, due to the high mobility of PMT/vPvM substances, many of them can break through artificial barriers in wastewater treatment plants, including granular activated carbon filtration and ultrafiltration systems, posing challenges for removal and remediation . These substances can be further transported through natural media such as soils, riverbanks, aquifers and groundwater, making them hard to contain and remove from the environment. As such, these substances are problematic in drinking water, and many are detected frequently in European surface waters . For example, 1,4-dioxin was found in Bavarian surface waters and melamine in the Netherlands, France and Belgium .