Below are a few thought-starter questions around the material in the module. You may want to talk through these questions with friends, colleagues and your lecturers:
The pet flea and tick treatments fipronil and imidacloprid are regulated as veterinary medicines, yet both are now found in English rivers. They are often found at concentrations above levels thought to harm aquatic life, even though their use as agricultural pesticides is restricted. What does this case show about the risks of regulating chemicals by use (plant protection products, human and veterinary medicines, industrial chemicals) rather than by substance? How might the regulatory system be changed so that a hazard identified under one regime is acted on under the others?
Since 2021, the EU has added more substances of very high concern and more restrictions under EU REACH than the UK has under UK REACH, and it plans to phase out non-essential uses of PFAS. Do you think the UK should stay closely aligned with EU REACH or develop its own approach? Consider the effects on environmental protection, industry operating in both markets, Northern Ireland, and the UK’s influence on global standards.
Green chemistry innovation usually happens in industry, while evidence of environmental harm often comes from academic and regulatory science. How could your research feed into early-stage product design, and what barriers to that kind of collaboration can you foresee?
Think of a particular behaviour you want to change related to pollution. For example: You could switch from traditional clothes washing pods to plastic free versions; or Stop using cosmetics that contain microplastic. Then decide on a particular behaviour change model that might help evaluate the said decision.
Considering the need for effective cross-sector engagement and robust environmental data in developing more environmentally-informed healthcare practices – how could your research and expertise support sustainable pharmacy?
If you were to develop a media campaign raising awareness about pharmaceutical pollution and sustainable pharmacy – what key messages would you include, and who would you collaborate with to develop it?
Removing a chemical from water does not always remove it from the environment. Contaminants that sorb to sewage sludge may reach farmland when biosolids are spread on land. How should we weigh the benefits of recovering nutrients and resources against the risk of moving pollutants from rivers to soils?
Source control, such as nature-based solutions, separate treatment of hospital effluent, or limits on specific products, can stop chemicals reaching treatment works at all. For a catchment you know, would you invest in better end-of-pipe treatment or in upstream prevention? What data would help you decide, and who would need to be involved?
Extended producer responsibility makes manufacturers pay for the end-of-life management of their products. Could schemes like this encourage designs with fewer hazardous chemicals as well as more recyclable materials? What other incentives might link waste management back to product design?