Environmental Pollution and Human Health aims to equip Learners with the ability to understand and apply the principles of environmental pollution science in relation to human health. Learners recognise the sources, pathways, fate and effects of pollutants in air, water and land environments and relate these to human exposure, health outcomes and public health protection. Upon successful completion, Learners have an informed awareness of pollution hazards, risk assessment and the relevance of pollution control to public health and professional practice within environmental and related fields. This unit forms part of the ICM Level 5 Environmental Science Professional Qualification.
Environmental Pollution
- Definition and scope of environmental pollution
- Historical perspectives on pollution
- Types of pollution: air, water, soil, noise, light, thermal, radioactive
- Point source and non-point source pollution
- Persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic substances
- Pollutant classification: primary, secondary, criteria, hazardous
Source-Pathway-Receptor Model
- The source-pathway-receptor concept
- Pollutant sources: natural and anthropogenic
- Environmental pathways: transport and transformation
- Receptors: humans, ecosystems, materials
- Exposure routes: inhalation, ingestion, dermal contact
- Multiple pathways and cumulative exposure
Air Pollution
- Major air pollutants: particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5), nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide, lead
- Sources: combustion, industry, transport, agriculture
- Atmospheric transport and dispersion
- Secondary pollutant formation (photochemical smog)
- Indoor air pollution
- Health effects: respiratory, cardiovascular, carcinogenic effects
- Air quality standards and indices
Water Pollution
- Types of water pollutants: pathogens, organic matter, nutrients, heavy metals, chemicals, plastics
- Sources: industrial discharge, agricultural runoff, sewage, oil spills
- Groundwater contamination
- Marine pollution and eutrophication
- Drinking water quality and treatment
- Health effects: waterborne diseases, chemical toxicity, endocrine disruption
- Water quality standards and monitoring
Soil and Land Contamination
- Soil pollutants: heavy metals, pesticides, hydrocarbons, industrial chemicals
- Sources: waste disposal, industrial activities, agriculture, mining
- Pollutant fate in soil: sorption, degradation, leaching
- Uptake by plants and food chain contamination
- Health effects: direct exposure, food contamination
- Contaminated land management
Noise, Light and Thermal Pollution
- Noise pollution: sources, measurement, health effects (hearing loss, cardiovascular, sleep disturbance)
- Light pollution: ecological and human health impacts
- Thermal pollution: sources, environmental effects
- Regulatory frameworks and control measures
Emerging Pollutants
- Microplastics and nanoplastics
- Pharmaceuticals and personal care products
- Endocrine disrupting chemicals
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
- Antimicrobial resistance in the environment
- Challenges in monitoring and regulation
Exposure Assessment and Dose-Response
- Principles of exposure assessment
- Exposure pathways and routes
- Exposure biomarkers
- Dose-response relationships
- Threshold and non-threshold effects
- Acute versus chronic exposure
Environmental Health Epidemiology
- Study designs in environmental epidemiology
- Ecologic studies, cross-sectional, case-control, cohort
- Confounding and bias
- Causality in environmental health
- Key epidemiological studies linking pollution to disease
- Limitations of epidemiological evidence
Vulnerable Populations and Environmental Justice
- Children and environmental health
- The elderly and pre-existing conditions
- Pregnancy and developmental effects
- Socio-economic inequalities in pollution exposure
- Environmental justice movements
- Community engagement in environmental health
Pollution Monitoring and Analysis
- Air quality monitoring: automatic and passive methods
- Water quality sampling and analysis
- Soil and sediment sampling
- Biological monitoring and bio-indicators
- Remote sensing for pollution monitoring
- Quality assurance and quality control
Health Risk Assessment
- Framework for environmental health risk assessment
- Hazard identification
- Dose-response assessment
- Exposure assessment
- Risk characterisation
- Uncertainty and variability
- Risk communication
Pollution Control Technologies
- Air pollution control: particulate removal, scrubbers, catalytic converters
- Water and wastewater treatment
- Soil remediation techniques
- Waste management and pollution prevention
- Cleaner production and green chemistry
- Cost-effectiveness of control measures
Policy and Regulatory Frameworks
- International environmental agreements on pollution
- National and regional pollution regulations
- Ambient standards and emission limits
- Polluter pays principle
- Market-based instruments: taxes, trading schemes
- Compliance and enforcement
Case Studies in Pollution and Health
- London smog (1952)
- Minamata disease (mercury poisoning)
- Bhopal gas tragedy
- Lead pollution and neurodevelopmental effects
- Air pollution in megacities
- Drinking water contamination events
Example Candidate Response Booklet
Example Candidate Response (ECR) Booklets are a source of crucial information for Centres and Candidates as they use real candidate responses. We ask Senior Examiners to comment on five or more responses in terms of why the mark was awarded with commentary about how to improve the answer (if necessary).
