Dr Andrew Johnson

Dr Andrew Johnson

Centre for Ecology & Hydrology,
Maclean Building,
Benson Lane,
Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford,
Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB
T: +44 (0)1491 838800
F: +44 (0)1491 692424
E-mail: Dr Andrew Johnson

Current work

Research focuses on two of CEH's high-level challenges:

  • Challenge II: Identify processes linking physical and chemical changes in the environment with ecosystem responses
  • Challenge V: Determine the risks of chronic and extreme exposure of ecosystems and humans to biological, hydrological and chemical threats

This fits under the Biogeochemistry Programme:

  • BG-2.1 Quantify and model processes that control the emission, fate, bioavailability and impacts of pollutants including nanoparticles

It also supports the Water Programme:

  • WA-2.2 Hydrochemical and sediment processes

Research interests

To try to assess the level of threat to the natural environment from chemical and biological hazards associated with human activity and so help preserve that environment for future generations. Main interest is in the aquatic environment and in assessing the threat posed by chemicals, nanoparticles and viruses. Trying to understand the magnitude of the chemical challenge has led to the setting up of a National Fish Tissue Archive to allow a temporal and spatial assessment of chemical contamination of native fish to be carried out. The research tries to be forward looking and so examine how those chemical and biological threats might alter with climate change.

Brief CV

Date of Birth 1963. First degree was a BSc in Microbiology from Reading University (1985), followed by a PhD in Soil Science, also at Reading University (1988). After a four-year period as a Post-Doctoral Research fellow at Reading, I moved to the then Institute of Hydrology at Wallingford in 1992. Employed as a Principal Scientific Officer at the renamed Centre for Ecology & Hydrology at Wallingford.  Highlights to date include:

  • Assessing the extent of herbicide loss from clay fields and demonstrating regular cycles of herbicide contamination in Chalk groundwater
  • Revealing the natural biodegradation rates of steroid oestrogens in rivers
  • Assessing the importance of different types of sewage treatment plant in removing oestrogens from the effluent
  • Guiding a GIS water quality modelling project that revealed the extent of risk faced by British fish to endocrine disruption
  • Elucidating the threat from cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs to the environment and human health Current studies include: Assessing how environmental change will shape the British river of the future

Selected publications

See also NERC Open Research Archive.

Johnson, A.C., Belfroid, A., and Di Corcia, A. (2000). Estimating steroid oestrogen inputs to activated sludge treatment works and observations on their removal from the effluent.  The Science of the total Environment 256, 163-173.

Johnson, A.C and Sumpter J.P. 2001. Removal of endocrine disrupting chemicals in activated sludge treatment works. Environmental Science & Technology 35, 4697-4703.

Jürgens, M.D., Holthaus, K.I.E., Johnson, A.C., Smith J.J.L., Hetheridge, M. and Williams, R.J.  (2002).  The potential for estradiol and ethinylestradiol degradation in English rivers. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 21, 480-488.

Johnson, A.C., Williams, R.J. (2004).  A model to estimate influent and effluent concentrations of estradiol, estrone and ethinyloestradiol at sewage treatment works. Environmental Science & Technology, 38, 3649-3658.

Johnson, A.C., Aerni, H-R., Gerritsen, A., Gibert, M., Giger, W., Hylland, K., Jürgens, M., Nakari, T., Pickering, A., Suter, M.J-F., Svenson, A. and Wettstein, F.E. (2005).  Comparing steroid estrogen, and nonylphenol content across a range of European sewage plants with different treatment and management practices. Water Research 39: 47-58.

Johnson, A.C., Williams, R.J., Matthiessen, P.  (2006).  The potential steroid hormone contribution of farm animals to freshwaters, the United Kingdom as a case study.  Science of the Total Environment 362, 166-178.

Johnson, A.C., Williams, R.J., Simpson, P., R. Kanda (2007). What difference might sewage treatment performance make to endocrine disruption in rivers? Environmental Pollution, 147, 194-202.

Johnson, A.C., Jürgens, M.D., Williams, R.J., Kümmerer, K., Kortenkamp, A., Sumpter, J.P. (2008). Do cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs discharged into rivers pose a risk to the environment and human health? An overview and UK case study. Journal of Hydrology, 348, 167-175.

Johnson A.C., Ternes, T., Williams, R.J., Sumpter, J.P. (2008) Assessing the concentrations of  polar organic microcontaminants in the aquatic environment: Measure of Model? Environmental Science and Technology 42, 5390-5399.

Williams, R.J., Keller, V.J.D., Johnson, A.C., Young, A.R., Holmes, M.G.R., Wells, C., Gross-Sorokin, M. Benstead, R. (2009). A national risk assessment for intersex in fish arising from steroid estrogens. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 28, 220-230.