The social responsibility of environmental analysis

•The importance of social responsibility in environmental studies is highlighted.•Environmental side effects must be avoided in analytical praxis.•Information concerning environmental studies must be carefully managed.

A literature updated has been made on the academical studies focused on the social impact of environmental studies, paying attention to both, the quality of the information provided and the side effects of the methodology employed, also considering the importance of the analytical methodologies in the development of remediation processes and the key subject of the transmission of the environmental information to the policy makers and the general society.