Soil and groundwater screening values
Powerful tools for the implementation of Netherlands Soil Protection Policy
Piet Otte
19 April 2017
National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
SOME RIVM FACTS
Since 1909
Agency: Ministry of Public Health (VWS) is owner of RIVM
Operates at central government level
Independent research
RIVM organization chart (Staff approx. 1500)
Director-General
Department of the Director-General and Communications
Department of Human Resources Management
Finance Department
Facilities,
Management
and Services
Centre for Infectious
Diseases Control
Public Health and
Health Services
Division
Environment and
Safety Division Centre for Sustainability,
Environment and Health
epidemiology
soil chemistry
toxicology
Key expertise
Product
human
exposure
Transport and fate
Sustainability
Policy support
Knowledge and science
Standards and Tools
Elements of setting soil and groundwater standards
1. Policy goals
2. Use of standards
3. Protection Targets
4. Protection Levels
5. Risk approach
6. Exposure and Health
7. Protection of soil ecosystem
8. Standards and Tools
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Some milestones and history of the Dutch Soil Policy
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- 1980 The ‘Lekkerkerk case’ - 1983 Interim Soil Act - 1987 Soil Protection Act - 1990 Capacity building and
knowledge basis development - 1994 Development of risk based
Soil Quality Criteria - 1998 Reconsideration of policy
objectives - 2003 Revision of standards and
instruments - 2008 Soil Quality Decree - 2010 Acceleration of the Soil
remediation program Policy development cycle
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A policy for contaminated sites: Standards, regulations, tools.
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The Dutch Soil Protection Act
• A policy based on three pillars
– Protection of Soil
– Management of Soil Quality
– Clean-up of heavily contaminated sites
Assignments and tasks for local administration (provinces and municipalities) • Examples
– Prevention and reduction of health risks
– Save soil use (e.g. food production, building activities)
– Save Re-use of soil and sediments
– Optimization of spatial planning
– Protection of drinking water resources
– Remediation decisions
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National Institute for Public Health and the Environment – The Netherlands
Policy for contaminated soils and groundwater is
• Soil Protection Act and Circular on soil remediation
• Based on risk assessment for human health and ecosystem
• Intervention Value is a first and generic trigger for authorities
• Only exposure from contaminants in soil or groundwater is considered
• For decisions on remedation (clean up) no background exposure is considered
• For remediation objectives the general background exposure is considered for max 50% of the MTR (ADI)
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Standards are a powerful tool Functions and the application of legal soil quality standards in The Netherlands
• Standards ensure an equal level of protection of human health
• Standards limit adverse effects on the ecosystem
• Standards define the quality of land
• Standards are instruments for compliance of legal decisions
• Standards are the basis for enforcement and supervision
• Standards and regulations do not exist apart from each other
• Legal standards and regulations provide certainty for investors and citizens
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Considerations before deriving Soil Quality Standards
Netherlands National Government sets the:
• Protection targets
• The purpose of the soil standard, Objectives
– Prevention,
– Soil quality management and re-use of soil and sediments
– Decisions on measures on protection and remediation
• The level of protection:
– Prevention: meet strict requirements
– Soil quality management: feasible and practical, fit for use
– Remediation: exclusion of unacceptable risk
• Land use: Residential, Agriculture, Commercial, Industrial….
• Takes into account social-economic factors (realistic and acceptable)
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Protection Targets of the Dutch Soil Protection Act Protection of humans, plant and animals Standards are Risk-based
Food safety
Environment Human health
Drinking water
Soil Quality
Standards
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Standards and rules go hand in hand
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Prevention and care • Soil standards based on Background Values
• Background Values are based on concentration of compound in top soil from undisturbed, clean soils.
• The 95 percentile value is the background value for soil
• Soil of Background Value quality is CLEAN and fit for all uses (e.g. agriculture)
• The Background Value is a criterion for prevention and restoration
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Sustainable soil management • Soil standards (the maximal values) are based on risk criteria for
health and the environment
• Maximum Values are set for residential and industrial land use
• The Maximal Values are standards for:
– Management for the reuse of soil after transport
– Land-use specific remediation objectives
• Fit for use related to land use
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Remediation of serious contaminated soil
• The Intervention Values:
– determine a case of serious soil contamination
– unacceptable risks for health and/or the environment
• Obligation to inform the administration
• Obligation to determine the urgency of remediation
• Obligation tot submit a remediation plan
• Decide on remediation
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Level of protection for health and ecology
Standard Health Ecology
Background Value, maximal Value for agriculture and Nature
Not relevant at this level
Based on the natural state. Protection level ‘high’
Maximal Value Residential
Toxicological level MPR - Background, CR = 10-6 livelong
Protection level ‘average’ Approx. HC20
Maximal value Industry
Toxicological level MPR – Background CR = 10-6 livelong
Protection level ‘moderate’ HC50
Intervention value Toxicological level MPR CR = 10-4 livelong
Protection level ‘moderate’ HC50
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Dutch Intervention Value combines health and ecotoxicological risk criteria (mg/kg)
Compound BV MV residential
MV Industry
Interven-tion Value
As 20 27 76 76
Cd 0.6 1.2 4.3 13
Hg 0.15 0.83 4.8 36
Pb 50 210 530 530
Benzene 0.20 0.20 1 1.1
Toluene 0.20 0.20 1.25 32
Sum PAH 1.5 6.8 40 40
PER (tetrachloroethene)
0.15 0.15 4 8.8
Sum drins 0.015 0.04 0.14 0.14
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Relation between the Soil Quality Standards
and HEALTH
clean Very contaminated
BV MV-residential IV MV-industrial
Natural Health effects (risk) are negligible with respect to use
No unacceptable health risks when land use is controlled
Unacceptable health risks cannot be excluded
unacc. Health Risks
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Relation between the Soil Quality Standards
and regulations, (compulsary) tools and information
clean Very contaminated
BV MV-residential IV MV-industrial
Geochemi-cal soil atlas
Decree on Soil Quality Regulation on Soil Quality
Sanscrit, Volasoil, Triad
Circular on Soil remediation
Soil Risk Toolbox
Soil Protection Act
BoToVa: Test and validation service tool for the use of standards
The Urgency of Remediation 1. When the Intervention Value is exceeded
2. A site specific risk assessment to determine actual risks
3. Decision based on the possibility to exclude unacceptable risk
4. Mandatory use of SANSCRIT and strict rules for soil investigation and assessment
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www.sanscrit.nl
1. Site specific measurements 2. Assessment of health and
ecological risk and risk due to contaminant migration
3. All possible land and situations can be assessed
4. Results of additional field analyses are considered
5. Generate a standardized report to be submitted to the administration for binding ordinance
Site-specific risk assessment| Remediation decision
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Sanscrit: supporting tool
Technical details
Questions and answers
19 April 2017
Behind the standards (The technical part)
• Method for the derivation of risk based quality standards
• See www.rivm.nl for technical reports
• Setting health risk standards
• Setting ecological risk standards
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Priority list of soil contaminants
• NEN 5740 is a Dutch standard protocol which includes a list of contaminants for a standard site investigation
• Intervention Values are derived for around 120 contaminants.
• List of standards is based on
– Presence, use and production
– Toxicity for man and environment
– Fate and Transport in soil environment
– On request of problem owners
• List of background Values includes around 150 compounds
• Sanscrit contains 179 substances
• Risk Toolbox Soil includes 42 compounds
• List of substances of very high concern (ZZS) to minimize the emissions as much as possible See: https://rvs.rivm.nl/zoeksysteem/ZZSlijst/Index Not all substances are relevant for soil
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Not Standardized Substances
For the soil contaminants that have not been set with maximum values, intervention values and remediation target values. Measures to supervise and monitor these pollutants?
• It is assumed that for contaminations before 1987 (historical contamination) there are standards for all contaminants.
• Occasionally, a problem owner (e.g. the municipality) can request to derive a standard for a specific case. RIVM is entitled to derive standards
• New substances and new cases of contamination (eg. a spill) the administration enforce a complete removal of the spill. In case this is not technically or financially feasible the competent authority sets a specific standard for clean-up and management.
• The municipality have first responsibility for the supervison of the remediation works.
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Netherlands Soil Standards for contaminated site management
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State of the art of contaminated site management in The Netherlands: Policy framework and risk assessment tools(2012). F.A. Swartjes , M. Rutgers, J.P.A. Lijzen, P.J.C.M. Janssen, P.F. Otte, A. Wintersen, E. Brand, L. Posthuma. Science of the Total Environment 427–428 (2012) 1–10
Netherlands Soil Quality Standards for sustainable land management
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BV MV-residential IV MV-industrial
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Relation between the Soil Quality Standards
and HEALTH
clean Very contaminated
BV MV-residential IV MV-industrial
Natural Health effects (risk) are negligible with respect to use
No unacceptable health risks when land use is controlled
Unacceptable health risks cannot be excluded
unacc. Health Risks
Deciding about the TOX REFERENCE DOSE
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1) Threshold compounds
• non-genotoxic carcinogens
2) Non-threshold compounds
• genotoxic carcinogens
3) Remediation policy (Intervention Value and Sanscrit) NoAEL and 10-4 livelong for Carcinogens
4) Sustainable Soil Management Policy (MV and soil Q management) NoAEL minus background exposure and
10-6 livelong for Carcinogens
For the calculation of critical exposure and setting standards:
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Relation between the Soil Quality Standards
and ECOSYSTEM and level of protection
Clean Very contaminated
BV MV-residential IV MV-industrial
High
Average HC20
Moderate HC50
(un)acceptable SANSCRIT/TRIAD
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Relation between the Soil Quality Standards
and options for management and action
clean Very contaminated
BV MV-residential IV MV-industrial
No action
Manage land use Manage reuse of soil
Restrictions possible Labeled sites
Remediation decision with Sanscrit
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Relation between the Soil Quality Standards
and regulations, (compulsary) tools and information
clean Very contaminated
BV MV-residential IV MV-industrial
Geochemi-cal soil atlas
Decree on Soil Quality Regulation on Soil Quality
Sanscrit, Volasoil, Triad
Circular on Soil remediation
Soil Risk Toolbox
Soil Protection Act
BoToVa: Test and validation service tool for the use of standards
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Relation between the Soil Quality Standards
and policy priorities
clean Very contaminated
BV MV-residential IV MV-industrial
Prevention and
protection
Sustainable and safe land use Optimal reuse of soil
Cost control of soil management
Elimination of health hazards Management of eco risks Management of contaminant migration Remediation
From ABC values to evidence-, risk based standards
1. Societal shock because of soil contamination (1979-1980)
2. First soil reference values: The ABC values (1980)
3. Fast implementation of the Interim Soil Protection Act (1981-1983)
4. Soil Protection Act (1987)
About ABC values
- Based on expert judgement
- A (eq. of background values) remediation objective
- C (eq. of intervention values) remediation decision
- B (practical value = (A+C)/2 ) practical remediation objective
5. Start development of risk-based environmental standards (1990)
6. Publication of RIVM report ‘Care for tomorrow’ development of evidence based approach for policy on environmental issues
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Background Values: replaces former target values!
• The background values are the result of a soil survey on 100 locations in the Netherlands, using a stratified random sampling based on soil type and landuse.
• BV determined by the 95-percentile of normalized soil top soil (0-10 cm) concentrations
• BV are used to discriminate between clean natural soil and soil affected by human activities
• Soils with concentration above MV are classified using Maximal Values
• Geochemical Soil Atlas
• National baseline survey of soil quality in the Netherlands. D.J. Brus a,*, F.P.J. Lame´ b, R.H. Nieuwenhuis (2009). Environmental Pollution 157, 2043–2052
• Regional ecotoxicological hazards associated with anthropogenic enrichment of heavy metals. J. Spijker; G. Mol; L. Posthuma (2011) Environ Geochem Health. DOI 10.1007/s10653-011-9385-3
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Remarks on target values and backgound values
• Background values are not (anymore) the criterion for remediation objectives
• Target values sometimes lower then natural concentrations
• Target values are lapsed
• Background Values serves as a standard value for:
– Natural state (clean) / anthropogenic influence
– Was pollution added, spilled,…
– Give way to the protection and prevention policy of enterprises
– In case of liability questions
– Sustainable land use (agriculture)
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Use of Intervention Values
• Serves as criterion for a case of serious contamination
• Trigger Value for site specific risk assessment
• Starting point for Sanscrit assessment and remediation decision
• Serves as criterion for workers safety measures
• Serves as criterion to forbid the reuse and replacement of soil
Scientific background
– IV (and MV) based on risk for man and environment in a standard situation.
– Risk is determined by exposure and toxicological reference value
– Level of protection considers livelong exposure (70 y)
– Protection level is in line with other environmental domains (water, noise, air)
– IV and MV: Same approach for exposure assessment / other tox reference value
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Exposure Assessment / Human Exposure Modelling The CSOIL Model = part of Sanscrit
Human Health Risk Assessment | 12 May 2011 16
IV Soil content (mg/kg)
inhalation
Exposure
in m
g/k
g B
W p
er
day
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Ref Dose
Derivation of intervention values
Remediation objectives
• Was Target Value
• Is Maximum Value
• Intervention Value as remediation objective is not a sustainable solution (but for insensitive land use, or with user restrictions )
• The value of the land
BUT
• Cost-benefit analysis is ‘part of the deal’
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www.sanscrit.nl
1. Site specific measurements 2. Assessment of health and
ecological risk and risk due to contaminant migration
3. All possible land and situations can be assessed
4. Results of additional field analyses are considered
5. Generate a standardized report to be submitted to the administration for binding ordinance
Site-specific risk assessment|
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National Institute for Public Health and the Environment – RIVM
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• Health: Prevention and control outbreaks of infectious diseases. Promote public health
• Food and Drinking water: Safety
• Environment: Quality of air, soil, groundwater, surface water, nature ….
• Safety: Response to crisis and (environmental and health) accidents
Generic Approach Environmental Research: The Source-Risk Chain
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Source Emission
Dispersion Exposure Dose & effect
Risk
Considerations before deriving Soil Quality Standards
Netherlands National Government sets the:
• Protection targets
• The purpose of the soil standard? Objectives?
– Prevention,
– Soil quality management and re-use of soil and sediments
– Decisions on measures on protection and remediation
• The level of protection:
– Prevention: meet strict requirements
– Soil quality management: feasible and practical, fit for use
– Remediation: exclusion of unacceptable risk
• Land use: Residential, Agriculture, Commercial, Industrial….
• Takes into account social-economic factors (realistic and acceptable)
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Contaminant behaviour in the soil-water system Contaminant distribution over the soil phases
Contaminant transfer
• Metals:
– Molecular weight
– Partition Coefficient,
– Bioconcentration Factors
• Organic Compounds
– Molecular weight
– Solubility
– Vapour pressure
– Henry’s Law constant
– Octanol water partition coefficient
– Organic Matter partition coefficent
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National Institute for Public Health and the Environment – The Netherlands
Toxicological Reference dose Toxicity studies for reference dose values
Toxicity study Short-term Subchronic Chronic Reproductive toxicity developmental toxicity Neurodevelopmental toxicity
death conception adulthood birth senescence
Life stage
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Determination of a Soil Quality Standard (Intervention Value)
CSOIL: Relation of contaminant content in soil and exposure
Most important pathways for soil quality standards are:
CSOIL
1.Exposure by crop consumption (mainly relevant for some metals and organic contaminants)
2.Exposure by soil ingestion (relevant for immobile contaminants)
3.Exposure by inhalation of indoor air (relevant for volatile contaminants)
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Exposure by vegetable consumption
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Important input parameters:
• concentration in root and leafy
vegetables
• amount of vegetables from own
garden
Relevant factors soil ingestion
● Frequency of contact – Children and/or adults – Indoor and outdoor exposure – Summer and winter – Rural or city area
● Intensity of the soil contact – Children and/or adults – Oral bioavailability of soil contaminants in
human body
Soil ingestion
Frequency X Intensity
Number of contacts per week
Amount of contact per event
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Conceptual model exposure pathway: Inhalation of indoor air
air
soil
indoor
air
crawl
space
groundwater Soil contamination
saturated
zone
unsaturated zone Contaminant flux
(diffusion & convection)
ventilation
(diffusion)
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How much soil ingestion?
● Two types of study 1.Study on behaviour
– Skin loading – Hand to mouth frequency
2.Tracer study
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Thanks for your kind
attention
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