Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are a hot topic in environmental science. From synthetic estrogens that feminize male fish to concerns about resistance to antibiotics, this is a growing area of research and public attention. Yet potential and long-term effects on human and ecosystem health remain largely unknown. Author Murray Rudd leads an international study in the October 2014 issue of IEAM where environmental scientists identify their top PPCP research priorities. The identification of research priorities—according to hundreds of environmental scientists—serve as a guide for the types of hazard- and risk-based research needed to inform regulation of PPCPs as well as provide opportunities to collaborate among researchers across disciplinary sectors and countries.

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About the Guest
Dr. Murray Rudd is a Senior Lecturer in environmental economics at the University of York. His research explores issues of when, where, and how to invest resources and craft policies to achieve ecological and socio-economic sustainability, enhance human well-being, and facilitate adaptation to environmental change. Much of his work is oriented towards the conservation of biological diversity in aquatic and marine realms. From a disciplinary perspective, he works at the intersection of public policy, economics, and ecology, with a focus on the science/policy interface. His doctorate (Wageningen) was in a joint program of rural policy and economics and the economics of consumers and households.

Articles Referenced in this Podcast
Rudd et al. 2014. International scientists’ priorities for research on pharmaceutical and personal care products in the environment. IEAM 10#4: 576–587.