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Water and human health

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Water is a natural resource that is vital for human survival and health, although only a tiny fraction of the Earth's supply is available to humans and terrestrial animals. In this free course, Water and human health, we look at threats, such as pollution, to water's capacity to support life around the world.

Course learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

  • define and use in context, or recognise definitions and applications of, each of the terms printed in bold in the text
  • identify some of the reasons why clean, fresh water is an increasingly scarce resource for many people in the world
  • explain what is meant by the bioaccumulation of xenobiotic chemicals and identify the implications that this has for what people can safely eat
  • distinguish between the effects on human health of high and low levels of environmental pollution by nitrogen compounds5 explain what is meant by an endocrine disruptor.
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First Published: 09/08/2012

Updated: 03/09/2019

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