The Pill and the Planet - Ian Mudway

00:00 // Introduction: Healthy Aging vs. Planetary Health 01:00 // The Global Aging Population Crisis 03:10 // Population Pyramids: A Demographic Time Bomb 05:39 // The Healthy Lifespan Decline: UK Data Revealed 08:43 // The Epidemiological Transition Explained 12:00 // Global Burden of Disease: DALYs and What's Killing Us 14:00 // Multimorbidity and Polypharmacy: The Drug Dependency Epidemic 18:32 // 100 Years of Pharmaceutical Breakthroughs 23:48 // The Exposome: How Your Environment Shapes Your Health 26:58 // When Your Medicine Becomes Pollution 31:58 // Patient Archetypes: The Hidden Environmental Cost of Drugs 38:44 // Pharmaceuticals, CO2, and the Ecological Rucksack 42:47 // How Drugs Enter the Environment Through Excretion 45:53 // Pharmaceuticals in Our Rivers: What's in the Water? 51:27 // Global Pharmaceutical Contamination: A Worldwide Problem 52:12 // Antibiotic Resistance: The Battle We Are Losing 55:07 // Green Chemistry and Regulation: Reasons for Hope 56:41 // Poverty, Inequality, and the Real Cause of Declining Health 57:50 // Conclusion: Achieving Healthy Aging Without Destroying the Planet Modern medicine's success in extending lifespans comes at an environmental cost. This lecture explores the pollution from single-use plastics, pharmaceuticals and medical waste, questioning whether we can sustain this model. It examines the impact of drugs and their metabolites on ecosystems, the carbon footprint of healthcare and the ethical dilemma of balancing individual health with planetary health. This talk explores potential solutions, including green pharmacy, innovative materials and responsible waste management, asking if a future with both healthy aging and a thriving planet is achievable. This lecture was recorded by Ian Mudway on the 12th of May 2026 at Bernard’s Inn Hall, London Dr Ian Mudway is Visiting Professor of Environmental Health. He is a senior lecturer in the School of Public Health at Imperial, a member of the MRC Centre for Environment and Health; MRC & Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma and the NIHR-PHE Health Protection Research Units in Environmental Exposures and Health and Chemical and Radiation Threats and Hazards. He has over 25 years of experience researching the impacts of air pollution on human health and in the development of assays to quantify the toxicity of the chemical cocktails that pollute the air we breathe. Over this period Dr Mudway has published over 100 research papers, reports and book chapters on these topics, as well as providing advice to the local, national and international governments and NGOs. Dr Mudway is passionate about the communication of science to lay audiences and has worked extensively with artists and educationalist to promote the public understanding of the risks associated with environmental pollutants. Currently his work is focused on understanding early life impacts of pollutants on the development of the lung and cognitive function in children living within urban populations, as well as furthering our fundamental understanding of the mechanisms that drive these adverse effects and modify an individual’s susceptibility to air pollution The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/p... Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham College's mission, please consider making a donation: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involve... Website: https://gresham.ac.uk X: https://x.com/GreshamCollege Facebook:   / greshamcollege   Instagram:   / greshamcollege   Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/greshamcolle... TikTok:   / greshamcollege   Support Us: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involve...