1. OPTION 5: Pollution and Human Health at Risk
• Explore the varied causes of health risks, and the degree to which pollution
strategies
have played a significant part in reducing them.
• Research health risks in contrasting locations and the contribution of
pollution
control in their management.
1) Pollution strategies – What are they? Give examples.
Research - CFC control – Montreal Protocol
Leaded petrol phase out
Chemical Weapons convention
Does RAMSAR have a role to play here? – Wetland conservation.
What makes an effective pollution strategy?
 Does it eradicate?
 Does it prevent?
 Does it educate?
 Does it involve public participation?
 Is it cost effective?
 How can we classify pollution strategies?
o Idea 1 - based on their cause (household, community and trans
boundary) or more realistically
o Idea 2 - classifying based on preventative or eradication..
2) Managing pollution – Possible management strategies.
 Prevent pollution occurring
 Remove / contain pollution once emitted
 Reduce pollution emissions (Kyoto?)
 Reduce exposure to pollutions
 Treat effects of pollution
 Bear the effects of pollution (business as usual)
 Blacksmith report – dirty 30 – good bit at end of report showing the
criteria they used – look at it!
 Montreal protocol – what is it??
 How will reducing global poverty help to reduce both health and pollution?
Can you give a named example of each management strategy above?
3) Have you got global, national and local examples of pollution related
health risks. I.e. Camleford - Cornwall

2. 4) Do you know the 4 P’s?
 Prevention
 Precaution
 Polluter Pays
 Proximity Principle (specific locations take responsibility ie. Beijing /
Chinese Government in dealing with pollution).
5) Definitions!
 Pollution
 Sustained Pollution
 Risk (what are the causes of health risk?)
 Health etc
6) Models
 Kuznets
 Epidemiological
 Rostows model – development over time.
 What do they show?
 What do they help us to prove?
7) Can you give or discuss a reverse argument and say that pollution is not
the main cause of health risk globally? This may help to create a balanced
answer in the exam.
 Will controlling pollution help to deal with HIV / Malaria / Swine Flu? No….
 Will controlling pollution help with obesity in MEDCs? No…..
 Will controlling pollution help deal with malnutrition in African nations? Yes
possibly as it will reduce climate change and drought.
8) Practise - plan these questions. 15 minutes on each.
Assess how health risk can be managed by pollution control?
Ie. How can managing pollution help to control health risks.
To what extent can the causes of health risk be managed?
Assess how pollution control has reduced health risk
To what extent are effective pollution strategies key in reducing
health risks?