The Twenty-first Annual Conference on Analysis of Pollutants in the Environment was held in Norfolk VA on May 7-8, 1998. The Twenty-first Annual Conference was jointly sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Water, and the Water Environment Federation (WEF). Conference participants numbered 223, representing a broad spectrum of the environmental community, including Federal, State and local academia, scientists from regulated industry, commercial environmental laboratories, wastewater treatment facilities, environmental groups, and environmental consultants and contractors. This conference has been the leading forum for discussion of technical issues related to environmental water regulations and compliance monitoring. Conference participants are provided with the opportunity to discuss all aspects of environmental analytical chemistry with a particular focus on analytical methods and related regulatory issues.