The ESHH lab studies the distribution, fate, and persistence of pollutants in air, soil and water, and strategies for remediation. Pollutants in our research portfolio include:

• Particulates
• Plastics
• Faecal Indicator Organisms (FIOs)
• Human pathogens
• Organics and nutrients
• Metals

The aim of our research is to inform public policy on appropriate pollutant management measures in order to improve human and environmental health.

 

Researchers

Professor Richard Quilliam
Professor of Environment and Health

 

Dr David Oliver
Associate Professor

 

Dr Heather Price
Lecturer

 

Dr Vanessa Moresco
Postdoctoral researcher

 

Sarah Buckerfield
PhD Student

 

Jonathan Fletcher
PhD Student

 

Heather Purshouse
PhD Student

 

Emmanuel Afolabi
PhD Student

 

Natalie Boyd Williams
PhD Student

 

Amy McCarron
PhD Student

 

 

 

Projects

Value-added marketing of mangrove oysters as an alternative livelihoods strategy for female gatherers in Sierra Leone (in collaboration with the Institute of Aquaculture)

Understanding hydrological and land-use controls on microbial pollution & human health risks in the South West China karst region

Optimising multi-pollutant phytoremediation strategies to sustainably improve raw water quality

Opportunities and barriers for recovering value from faecal sludge in African cities

Quantifying the risk of wildlife contributions to diffuse microbial pollution in agricultural catchments

The role of human excreta in building sustainable rural futures

Air pollution and public health: exploring sustainable behavioural changes to reduce exposures in Scotland

Exploiting insects as feed for sustainable salmon farming – identifying the risks of pathogen transfer within the production chain (completed)

 

Selected Publications

Price, H., Adams, E., Quilliam, R. (2019). The difference a day can make: the temporal dynamics of drinking water access and quality in urban slums. Science of the Total Environment, 671, 818-826. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.03.355

Quilliam RS, Taylor J & Oliver DM (2019). The disparity between regulatory measurements of E. coli in public bathing waters and the public expectation of bathing water quality, Journal of Environmental Management, 232, 868-874. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.11.138

Adams, E., Price, H., Stoler, J. (2019) Urban slums, drinking water and health: trends and lessons from sub-Saharan Africa. In: Handbook of Global Urban Health, Routledge (in press).

Fletcher J, Willby NJ, Oliver DM, Quilliam RS (2019). “Phytoremediation using Aquatic Plants” in Shmaefsky, BR. (Ed), Phytoremediation – In-Situ Applications (Advanced Concepts & Strategies in Plant Sciences), Springer Nature. ISBN978-3-030-00099-8. In press.

Rodrigues A, Oliver DM,  McCarron A, Quilliam RS (2019). Colonisation of plastic pellets (nurdles) by E. coli at public bathing beaches. Marine Pollution Bulletin 139, 376-380. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.01.011

Buckerfield SJ, Waldron S, Quilliam RS, Naylor LA, Li S & Oliver DM (2019). How can we improve understanding of faecal indicator dynamics in
karst systems under changing climatic, population, and land use
stressors? – Research opportunities in SW China. Science of the Total Environment 646, 438-447. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.07.292

Maina, E.G., Gachanja, A.N., Gatari, M.J., Price, H. (2018). Demonstrating PM2.5 and road-side dust pollution by heavy metals along Thika superhighway in Kenya, sub-Saharan Africa. Environ. Monit. Assess. 190:251. DOI: 10.1007/s10661-018-6629-z

Oliver DM, Bartie PJ, Heathwaite AL, Reaney SM., Parnell JAQ & Quilliam RS(2018). A catchment-scale model to predict spatial and temporal burden of E.colion pasture from grazing livestock. Science of the Total Environment,  616-617, 678-687. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.263

Swinscoe I, Oliver DM, Gilburn AS & Quilliam RS (2018). The seaweed fly (Coelopidae) can facilitate environmental survival and transmission of E. coli O157 at sandy beaches. Journal of Environmental Management, 223, 275-285. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.06.045