RISK ASSESSMENT OF LEAD IN SOIL: AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH TO CALCULATE MAXIMUM TOLERABLE LEVELS

Based on the Soil Protection Act, the necessity of remediation is determined on the basis of intervention values, which were arrived at by modelling the potential risk that contaminated soil poses for humans and the ecosystem. The remediation urgency is determined by means of a risk assessment that includes site-specific information. According to this methodology, the diffuse contamination of urban areas with lead may form an actual risk for young children. Critical examination however showed that this outcome is based on conservative model assumptions. Using an alternative approach based on a mass balance study of lead in children, it was calculated that actual risks are only expected to occur at levels that are higher than the Dutch intervention values.