Polymer-supported reagents as crosslinked beads can be modified with ion-selective ligands and used to remove toxic metal ions from water in the environment. A series of three polystyrene-based reagents will thus be described with different immobilized ligands: N-methyl-D-glucamine for arsenic recovery, trihexylammonium for pertechnetate and perchlorate recovery, and phosphorylated pentaerythritol for uranium recovery.