Instant Genius Podcast: Solving the UK’s water pollution problem, with Dr Tanja Radu

We wade into the key causes of our dirty rivers – and what the fixes could be.

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Jason Goodyer

Published: June 6, 2023 at 9:56 am

Instant Genius is a bite-sized masterclass in podcast form. And in this episode, we're wading through the UK's water pollution.

Currently, only 14 per cent of UK rivers are rated as having a ‘good’ ecological status. Agricultural runoff and the release of untreated sewage are the leading causes of water pollution. But why are rivers in such a bad way and what can we do about it?

We speak to Dr Tanja Radu, senior lecturer in water engineering at Loughborough University, to find out. She tells us how we’ve reached this point in river pollution, the risk it poses to human health and what we can do to set things right.

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Jason Goodyer

Commissioning editor, BBC Science Focus

Jason is the commissioning editor for BBC Science Focus. He holds an MSc in physics and was named Section Editor of the Year by the British Society of Magazine Editors in 2019. He has been reporting on science and technology for more than a decade. During this time, he's walked the tunnels of the Large Hadron Collider, watched Stephen Hawking deliver his Reith Lecture on Black Holes and reported on everything from simulation universes to dancing cockatoos. He looks after the magazine’s and website’s news sections and makes regular appearances on the Instant Genius Podcast.
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