Episode 5: Flushing Out the Truth: Sewage and Public Health in the UK

The development of wastewater systems in the 19th century was one of the greatest achievements of public health, but in recent years there has been growing concern and scrutiny of water quality and sewage pollution. The critical issue of sewage contamination in the UK's rivers and seas is having a profound impact on environmental sustainability and recent reports have urged upgrades in wastewater infrastructure to protect the health of the public.In this month’s episode, our experts James Cheshire (Professor of Geographic Information and Cartography, UCL Geography) and Sam Nichols (Water Quality App Manager, Surfers Against Sewage), analyse the causes, health effects, and innovative mapping techniques used to combat sewage contamination.Listen to understand what action is required from policymakers and the public to address sewage pollution and ensure our waterways are safe and clean for future generations.Read full show notesAccess transcript Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Om Podcasten

Presented by Doctor, writer and TV Presenter Xand Van Tulleken and community health psychologist, UCL lecturer and self-proclaimed hippie, Dr Rochelle Burgess.This podcast is about public health, but more importantly, it’s about the systems that need disrupting to make public health better. In each episode, we’ll be challenging the status quo of this field, asking what needs to change, why and how to get there. Each month we’ll be joined by activists, scholars, artists, comedians and industry professionals to offer perspectives from the UCL community and beyond. We’re calling this podcast Public Health Disrupted because that’s exactly what we want to do. We are going to be breaking down disciplinary, sectoral and geographic boundaries to really understand the diverse and complex issues impacting our health. Issues as complex as structural racism and as broad as the role of tech in public health. New episodes will be made available monthly via the UCL Soundcloud, Acast, Spotify, Apple Podcast and Google PodcastIf there’s a question you’d like us and our guests to answer, email us at healthofpublic@ucl.ac.uk or tweet @UCLHealthPublic.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.