A healthy environment

Britain's diverse rural environment is a prime asset - and one which is under threat from both man-made and natural hazards. Widespread realisation of the fragile state of our environment has driven science towards providing solutions to some of the challenges. CSL is at the forefront of initiatives to assess environmental risks posed by chemicals, diseases of wildlife and alien pests and diseases of plants. Once risks are established, appropriate policies and management actions can be introduced to protect the health of the environment.

Society depends on chemicals. Whether they are used in the production of food, in healthcare for humans or animals, in personal care products such as cosmetics, or as safety products such as flame retardants, chemicals are everywhere. Concerns are rising about the long-term environmental and human health effects of many chemicals, and specialists at CSL are contributing heavily to the growing body of scientific evidence in this debate. By combining sophisticated analytical techniques, novel modelling of chemical fate and behaviour in the environment, and innovative risk assessment methods, our scientists are providing data on which government can base policies, and with which industry can ensure compliance with regulations.

Disease in wildlife often goes unnoticed. But not tuberculosis in badgers. Long and intense debate about the mechanisms of disease transmission from badgers to cattle has been informed largely by the pioneering work of CSL's ecologists based at Woodchester Park. Studying disease epidemiology at landscape scale, and modelling the predicted impacts of managing badger populations has been instrumental in supporting policy-making in this area. Much of the science behind the badger TB case is being applied to other situations where wildlife has to be studied and managed over large areas.

It is not only diseases of animals which threatens the health of our environment. Increased international trade and climate change are leading to more cases of foreign pests and diseases of crops and plants being able to reach the UK and survive. Notable recent examples are Sudden Oak Death, a disease of trees and shrubs, Diabrotica beetle, a serious pest of maize, and the citrus longhorned beetle, a damaging insect imported on timber and trees. CSL's specialists play a leading role in detecting and identifying these alien invaders, and assessing risks to the UK environment and industry. We are investing heavily in rapid, DNA-based diagnostic methods to ensure no time is lost in implementing control measures.