Alan Beeby is the Head of the Division of Environmental Science at South Bank University, London. His first degree was in zoology, geomorphology and quaternary biogeography and he subsequently completed his PhD on the impact of lead on roadsides. His research still follows from this, though now he concentrates on the physiological and ecological impact of lead on key invertebrates. His research also includes methods of validating species which are used as monitors of environmental pollution. Alongside this research, he has published two books on undergraduate ecology, one of which provides