Learning outcomes

By the end of this unit you should be able to:

• define and use in context, or recognise definitions and applications of, each of the terms printed in bold in the text;

• identify some of the reasons why clean, fresh water is an increasingly scarce resource for many people in the world;

• explain what is meant by the bioaccumulation of xenobiotic chemicals and identify the implications that this has for what people can safely eat;

• distinguish between the effects on human health of high and low levels of environmental pollution by nitrogen compounds;

• explain what is meant by an endocrine disruptor.