M. J. Heath, BSc PhD CGeol FGS

Since 1985: Geological and Environmental Consultant:

Geological and environmental consultancy in a number of special areas, including:

• environmental management and environmental impact studies;
• contaminated land evaluation;
• the geological, geochemical and hydrogeological aspects of the disposal of radioactive and other hazardous wastes;
• the water environment;
• the natural radiation environment;
• environment and development;
• education and training.

• development and presentation for UNESCO of roving course on Geological Parameters for Environmental Protection presented in Namibia, Ethiopia, Egypt, Germany, China, India and Oman;
• adviser, environmental impact assessment for wave energy project, offshore SW England;
• a study of European building stones at risk to atmospheric pollution;
• adviser on development of a hydrogeological data base for developing countries;
• an assessment of UK radioactive waste disposal policy;
• principal geological consultant to major international project to develop an offshore radioactive waste disposal system; responsible for co-ordinating work in the UK, Netherlands and Sweden on geological, performance assessment and radionuclide migration aspects of the system, and for hydrogeological input into the project;
• geological adviser to UK/Netherlands/Jamaica project combining limestone extraction and the disposal of gypsum waste in an integrated flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) service to power utilities;
• geological consultant advising on geological, hydrogeological and performance aspects of offshore disposal system for large items of decommissioning nuclear waste, UK;
• geological/environmental adviser to UK/Spanish group investigating environmental problems in industrial regions of northern Spain;
• an appraisal of the environmental implications of expanded hydroelectricity generation in Iceland in relation to a proposed cable link to the UK;
• gas geochemistry surveys and gas injection experiments, Italy;
• sediment/topographical surveys of Exe, Camel and Hayle estuaries and coastal areas, south west England;
• water supply surveys, south west England;
• hydrogeological consultant to a major granite quarry development, UK;
• contaminated land studies (waste disposal, gas works, industrial, asbestos-contaminated, military and mine sites), UK;
• soil gas surveys for site investigation, south west and north west England;
• radiometric and geophysical surveys for site investigation, UK;
• review of gas migration data for helium injection experiment, UK;
• water interest surveys, quarry / landfill sites, SW England;
• see also Major ERC projects below.

Co-organiser / Chairman of Department of Trade and Industry-sponsored workshops on 'BS7750 Environmental Management Systems: Benefits for Business' (September 1992) and 'Contaminated Land: Threats and Opportunities for Business' (March 1993).

Chairman, Recycling Forum, St. Austell, Cornwall (October 1995).

Session Chairman / Working Group Co-Chairman, First NEA/OECD GEOTRAP Workshop on Field Tracer Experiments: Role in the Prediction of Radionuclide Migration, Cologne, Germany, August 1996.

Working Group Chairman,  Fifth NEA/OECD GEOTRAP Workshop on Geological Evidence and Theoretical Bases for Radionuclide-retention Processes, Oskarshamn, Sweden, May 2001.

Associate of  Herrington Geoscience since 1990.

Founder Member, Co-sponsor and Treasurer of the Housing and Hazards Group, an association of geologists and engineers in South West England working to improve the resistance to natural hazards (earthquake, flood, cyclone etc.) of housing in poor rural areas of developing countries. CoChairman of international workshops on Implementing Hazard-Resistant Housing (Dhaka, December 1996) and Village Infrastructure to Cope with the Environment (Dhaka, November 2000).

1996 - : Associate Lecturer, The Open University:
            (OU email <mjh59@tutor.open.ac.uk>)

Course Tutor and Examiner, U208 Third World Development (1996 - 2001);
                                                  U213 International Development: Challenges for a World in Transition (2002 - ).
Course Tutor, U206 Environment (1997 - 2002) / U216 Environment (2003).
 

1996 - : Lecturer / Teaching Fellow, Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter;
2000- : Honorary Research Fellow, Camborne School of Mines:
            (Exeter email <M.J.Heath@exeter.ac.uk>)

British Council sponsored Higher Education Link project on The mine environment and human health: a study of health hazards due to air and water pollution near manganese mines in central India in relation to the productivity and living standards of mine workers and their families and the development of dissemination techniques for increasing environmental awareness. Cooperation with VNIT, Nagpur, India.

Lecturer, undergraduate courses in Environmental Geology, Environmental Impact Assessment, Environmental Management, Atmospheric Pollution Control, Hazardous Waste Management, Radiation Studies, Pollution Studies and Pollution Management.

Development, preparation and presentation of postgraduate modules on Contaminated Land, Environmental Assessment and Monitoring Systems (both of which are available as Continuing Professional Development (CPD) modules) and Environmental Impact of Mining;
tutor, Research Methods for the Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Postgraduate project supervision: a hydrogeological study of Bahrain; an environmental impact evaluation for the oil industry in Ecuador; the environmental aspects of product diversification in the manganese mining industry, India.

Co-Convener, International Symposium on Geoenvironmental Reclamation, Nagpur (India), 20-22 November 2000.
 

1987-1997: Research Fellow, Earth Resources Centre (ERC), University of Exeter;
1998-1999: Honorary Research Fellow, Earth Resources Centre:

Research, consultancy and teaching in environmental geoscience specialising in the geological disposal of radioactive waste, the radiation environment (including radon), the evaluation of contaminated land (mine sites, gasworks, waste disposal sites, military land etc.), environmental impact studies (especially mining), hydrogeology and soil gas geochemistry.

Major ERC projects:

1987-1990: Rock matrix diffusion study with University of Oviedo, Spain, arising from sabbatical visit and financed by the European Commission (Radioactive Waste Management); responsible for geochemistry (using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry) and uranium series disequilibrium investigations (using ion exchange techniques and alpha-spectrometry).

1991-1995: Project Coordinator, EC research project assessing rock matrix diffusion as a mechanism for radionuclide migration in fractured crystalline rock, based at El Berrocal uranium mine (Spain). Partners at Universities of Oviedo (Spain), Liverpool and Oxford (UK) and Franche-Comté, Besançon (France), and Commissariat á l'Energie Atomique (France). Responsible for preparation of proposal and contracts, for overall project management and co-ordination, and for geochemical and uranium series disequilibrium investigations. Represented project at EC project meetings and international conferences.

1991-1995: Project Coordinator, environmental assessment in area of opencast manganese and copper mining, central India, with special reference to impact of mining on tropical forest; collaboration with the Visvesvaraya Regional College of Engineering, Nagpur, funded by the British Council. Investigation of chemical and physical impact of large opencast mines on tropical forest. Taking account of the socio-economic aspects of mineral development, the project made recommendations for improved environmental protection in forest areas.

Co-Convener, International Symposium on 'Impact of Mining on the Environment: Problems and Solutions', Nagpur (India), 11-16 January 1994.

1992-1995: Soil gas geochemistry projects, UK / Italy within European Community and UK Nirex Ltd. radioactive waste disposal research programmes. Soil gas monitoring in Cornwall, Cumbria and Italy with gas injection experiments in Cornwall and Italy. Interest focused on field determination of radon, helium and carbon dioxide using portable field instruments, including Pylon AB5 and EDA RD200 radon detectors and UL400 helium analyser.

1996-1997: Geochemical Seismic Zonation project within the European Community Environment (Seismic Hazard) research programme. Long-term soil gas geochemistry monitoring in selected fault zones of south west England to determine associations between soil radon and helium concentrations and seismic activity.

Major ERC consultancy interests:

Special consultancy interests include:

• contaminated land investigation and evaluation;
• radioactivity surveys (using field gamma-ray spectrometry and radon surveys);
• geophysical surveys using electromagnetic (EM31) and resistivity techniques; and
• environmental impact evaluations (with special reference to the water environment).

1985-1986: Sabbatical Visit to the Department of Petrology, University of Oviedo, Spain:

Presented short course on rock permeability with particular reference to the geological disposal of radioactive waste and the deterioration of monumental stones in ancient buildings; presented seminars in Oviedo and Madrid on radioactive waste disposal (all in Spanish). Prepared proposal for collaborative research by the Universities of Oviedo and Exeter into the diffusion of radionuclides into the rock matrix adjacent to water-conducting fractures in granite using radioactive disequilibrium, petrophysical and microstructural techniques. Funded by Comisión Asesora de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (CICYT), Madrid.
 

1982-1984: Senior Research Scientist at UK Atomic Energy Authority R&D site, Cornwall:

Responsible for experimental work at the site and for the geological aspects of an interdisciplinary project concerned with the migration of radionuclides following their release from buried radioactive waste into groundwater systems. Characterisation of the fracture permeability of the granite using geological methods (surface mapping, core logging, borehole logging) and hydrogeological techniques (multi-packer constant head injection tests, interborehole interference tests, use of radioactive and stable tracers in flowpath mapping). Solute migration tests also undertaken using stable tracers. Considerable practical experience gained in the design, construction and performance of in situ experiments. Participated in collaborative radionuclide migration experiment at Chalk River, Canada (1983) and represented UKAEA at International Stripa Project, Sweden (1983).

Completed UKAEA short course on radiation protection.

Member of Working Group of the Department of the Environment's Standing Committee of Analysts to advise on analytical methods for uranium, radium and radon in drinking water (1984).
 

1976-1978: Lecturer in Geology at Exeter College of Further Education:

Lecturing, organising field courses throughout south west England and setting internal examinations; additional teaching at Queen Elizabeth's School, Crediton. Recognised as a Secondary School Teacher by Department of Education and Science, 1978.
 

1973-1976: Scientific Officer, Institute of Geological Sciences, London:

Attached to the South East England and East Anglia Unit, working with the Mineral Assessment Unit in geological mapping on a scale of six inches to one mile (1:10,000) of approximately 250 square kilometres of north Essex and east Hertfordshire as part of a survey of the sand and gravel resources of the area. Research undertaken into the Tertiary and Quaternary geology of the area, particularly the glacial and periglacial deposits. Experience gained in shell-and-auger drilling and core logging.
 

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Updated 13th October 2003.