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Environment Agency

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26 October 2008

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Environment and human health

Summary

The research being carried out in the Environment and Human Health programme aims to understand the risks to ecosystems and human health from environmental pollution. This involves gathering information about the potential hazards posed by chemicals, radioactivity and microbes in the environment, as well as understanding the extent to which organisms, including humans, are exposed to these hazards. This knowledge allows us to assess the risks to ecosystems and human health, to develop environmental standards and guidelines and to make the right decisions to protect ecosystems and human health from the processes and activities we regulate.

Some recent projects in the Environment and Human Health programme:

Water Framework Directive: developing environmental quality standards

Under the Water Framework Directive, a water body must meet specific biological and chemical criteria to achieve ‘good’ ecological status. This project is developing environmental standards for up to 34 chemicals (metals, pesticides, organic contaminants and ammonia) as the basis for assessing chemical quality. The UK risks infraction if these standards are not developed in accordance with the guidance in the Directive. Our Framework for Standards will help us implement values in a realistic and practical way to protect the environment.

Radioactive substances: environmental risk assessment

This project is developing, testing and verifying methods for assessing the environmental impact of ionising radiation on human and non-human wildlife. These methods are based on the effects of radioactivity on certain key organisms, such as earthworms or fish, as well as long-term studies on background radiation levels and an extensive database of the effects on plants and animals at specific levels of exposure. The models produced will be used to apply a more risk-based approach to protecting wildlife from ionising radiation, which will ensure we use our resources to maximum environmental impact

Endocrine disruption programme

Research has revealed that a significant proportion of male fish in English rivers have become partly feminised as a result of endocrine disrupting chemicals from sewage treatment works. We have developed ways of quantifying these chemicals and their effect on fish. We are now working on a £40M demonstration programme to use these methods to compare different clean-up procedures during sewage treatment. The results of this study will enable us to develop a national strategy for reducing endocrine disrupting chemicals in water.

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Author: Hazel Phillips | enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk