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Land Contamination and Remediation

Contaminated land, risk and traditional remediation

  • 3 things to know
  • A2 1

Overview

Brownfield pollutants and PCBs, the source–pathway–receptor model, risk management and site use, the stages of dealing with a site, dig and dump, soil washing and thermal treatment, heavy metals, and in situ and ex situ treatment.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

What are polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and why are they a concern on contaminated land?

Key term

When is land considered contaminated?

Key term

What pollutants are commonly found on brownfield sites?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    When is land considered contaminated?

    Model answer

    Land is contaminated when substances in or under it could cause significant harm to people, property or ecosystems. Pollution of groundwater or rivers from the land also counts.

  2. 2

    What pollutants are commonly found on brownfield sites?

    Model answer

    Brownfield sites often contain waste oil, diesel oil and heavy metals such as lead and cadmium. Chlorinated pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are also common.

  3. 3

    How do former industrial uses lead to land contamination?

    Model answer

    Spilt chemicals, leaky fuel tanks and buried waste can release pollutants into soil. Gasworks, shipyards, factories and scrapyards commonly leave contaminated ground.

  4. 4

    What are polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and why are they a concern on contaminated land?

    Model answer

    PCBs are chlorinated organic compounds once used in electrical transformers and capacitors. PCBs persist for decades and bioaccumulate in food chains. PCBs are toxic and classed as carcinogenic.

  5. 5

    What is the source–pathway–receptor model?

    Model answer

    The model identifies a contaminant source, a receptor that could be harmed and a pathway linking them. A risk exists only when all three are present, forming a pollutant linkage.

  6. 6

    Give examples of receptors and pathways on a contaminated site.

    Model answer

    Receptors include residents, groundwater, rivers and wildlife. Pathways include swallowing soil, breathing dust or vapour and leaching into groundwater.

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