Environments are often viewed from a physical and biological perspective, but to fully understand how they function, it is important to view them from a chemical perspective as well. Environmental chemists try to understand how chemicals move through the environment. They monitor what is in the air, water, and soil to study how chemicals enter the environment, what affects they have, and how human activity affects the environment. They monitor the source and extent of pollution and contamination, especially how these affect human health, and they promote sustainability, conservation, and protection.

Throughout this unit, you will become aware of human-produced chemical substances that enter and interact with environments and you will investigate the potential impacts on different substances on the distribution and abundance of living things.