Alkylphenols, such as nonylphenol (NP) and octylphenol (OP), and chlorophenols, such as pentachlorophenol (PCP), are examples of phenolic EDCs [2; 3]. Due to their potential adverse effects on ecosystems and human health, these phenolic compounds were listed as a priority substance in the EU Water Framework Directive [4] and classified as persistent organic pollutants in the environment for many countries [5; 6], indicating that different strategies should be develop to reduce their input into the environment.  
Alkylphenols are degradation products of alkylphenols ethoxylates (APEOs), which are commonly used in the formulation of a large variety of detergents, paints, lubricants, resins and pesticides [7]. APEOs are of concern because the microbial breakdown of nonylphenol polyethoxylates (NPnEO) and octylphenol polythoxylates (OPnEO) originate NP and OP, respectively, which are more toxic than the parent compounds [2].  
Among chlorinated phenols, PCP has been extensively used in industry as a wood preservative product as well as in pesticide and biocide for crops, leathers and textiles [8]. This synthetic polychlorinated aromatic organic compound can be released into the environment after its use. PCP is toxic to all forms of life, because it is an oxidative phosphorylation inhibitor [9].  
The release of EDCs from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and the subsequent occurrence of EDCs in receiving waters have been well documented [10; 11] and despite progress being achieved by WWTPs treatments regarding the elimination of EDCs, residual EDCs are still released in WWTPs effluents at concentrations above environmental disturbance thresholds having a potential risk, for instance, to aquatic organisms [12; 13]. Some technologies and processes have been used to treat effluents contaminated with these organic contaminants in an attempt to minimize their potential adverse effects on ecosystems and human health [14; 15].  
In recent years constructed wetlands (CWs) have been applied successfully for the removal of nutrients, organic matter and diverse trace inorganic and organic contaminants [16], including EDCs [17; 18; 19; 20; 21; 22]. However, currently, available data of NP, OP or PCP effects on CWs performance, including on CWs microbial community, are still limited and more research is needed to fully assess their removal potentialities. CWs pollutants removal occurs through a combination of physical, chemical and biological processes in which CWs plants and microorganisms can have a significant influence. Therefore, knowledge of the impact of these contaminants on CWs components, particularly on microbial communities which are responsible for organic contaminants biodegradation, is needed to fully optimize the CWs removal potential. Moreover, one must assure that EDCs do not affect the removal of conventional water contaminants (e.g., organic matter and nutrients) to potentiate the use of this green technology that can also have considerable contributions to the circular economy as wastewater after proper treatment can be reuse.  
This study aimed to investigate the effect of two different groups of phenolic EDCs compounds on CWs performance, including on organic matter, nutrients and contaminants removal efficiency, and on microbial community structure in the plant bed substrate, improving the knowledge regarding the processes occurring in CWs to be able to promote the implementation and good operation of these green systems. For that, water from an anthropogenic impacted urban stream doped with two types of phenolic compounds, either a mixture of NP and OP (at a 100 \(\mathrm{\SIUnitSymbolMicro L}^{-1}\) concentration each) or PCP (at a 100 \(\mathrm{\SIUnitSymbolMicro L}^{-1}\) concentration), was treated in CWs at lab scale, in controlled conditions, for eight weeks.