Stakeholder participation in site assessment and management : a real case of Vincennes, France

International audienceStakeholders' participation is increasingly considered as a plain part of the assessment and the management of a contaminated site. It is also acknowledged to be a difficult and sometimes risky challenge. Beside virtual experiments on "test groups", there is very little feedback on real cases of extensive stakeholders' participation on contaminated sites in Europe. No guideline or support document exist in Europe to help to organize Stakeholders' participation. We present here the real case of a Southern area of the town of Vincennes near Paris: following a high number of cancers among children in a school in the vicinity of a former industrial site and a hospital incinerator, the Health Ministry set up an independent Scientific Committee in charge of designing the epidemiological and risk assessment studies, of reviewing theirs results and of issuing recommendations. The Prefect directed a Participation Committee gathering all stakeholders in the aim of sharing all information available on the site, of discussing the results of the studies and the conclusions of the Scientific Committee and collecting opinions and expectations of each stakeholder in order to prepare decisions. Numerous studies were conducted. The Scientific Committee reviewed more than 30 protocols and reports. This experience is discussed here with regard to major questions on stakeholders' participation in site assessment and management, such as the communication between experts and non-experts and between experts of different fields (health scientists vs. environmental engineers), the impact of the media, the psychological impacts, the "crisis vs. non-crisis" aspects of participation. The discussion integrates other experience gathered on stakeholders' involvement It leads to the identification of some ingredients for an efficient stakeholders' participation, event if the specificity of each case, and the importance of spontaneity, reactivity, is recognized

COMRISK : Un guide et une boîte à outils pour l'implication des populations dans l'évaluation et la gestion d'un site ou sol pollué

National audienceLes populations sont de plus en plus considérées comme parties intégrantes de l'évaluation et de la gestion des risques liés aux sites pollués. Mais leur implication est également reconnue comme un exercice difficile, mal maîtrisé, voire périlleux. De nombreux cas de relations agitées, conflictuelles, entre gestionnaires et riverains, sont rapportés. Mais des exemples de réussites apparaissent également. L'INERIS et l'IRSN, en collaboration avec la Cire Ile de France, ont développé pour l'ADEME un guide et une boîte à outils pour l'implication des populations dans l'évaluation et la gestion d'un site ou sol pollué. Le guide et la boîte à outils s'adressent à tous les acteurs des sites et sols pollués : maîtres d'ouvrage avec leurs bureaux d'études et conseils, administrations, et tout autant populations (associations, particuliers, élus,...). En effet, ils sont construits dans l'optique que les différents intervenants, par delà les différences de points de vue, travaillent ensemble à la recherche de la meilleure solution. Il est dès lors naturel qu'ils puissent disposer des mêmes outils méthodologiques, accessibles à tous (www.comrisk.fr). Le guide est organisé en fiches de préconisations opérationnelles, autonomes et illustrées d'exemples et de contre-exemples sur cas réels. Il propose au préalable une discussion synthétique des fondements des préconisations

A guide and a toolbox for public involvement in the assessment and the management of contaminated sites

International audiencePublic participation is increasingly considered as a plain part of the assessment and the management of a contaminated site. It is also perceived as a difficult and sometimes risky challenge. In Europe, to our knowledge, beside académie virtual experiments on "test groups", feedback and recommendations on the subject are scarce and dispersed. Following own expériences on real cases, INERiS and IRSN, in collaboration with the Cire Ile de France, hâve developed for ADEME a guide and a toolbox for organising public involvement in the assessment and the management of contaminated sites. The guide and the toolbox are intended for ail actors dealing with a contaminated site: public authorities, site owners, consultants, and représentatives of the public (organisations, elected représentatives, ...). They are available to ail on a dedicated website (www.comrisk.com). This article présents and discusses the outlines and the rationale of the guide and its related tools

Terres excavées : benchmark européen et élaboration d'une méthodologie française de gestion

National audienceLes différents acteurs français de l'aménagement du territoire et du renouvellement urbain, qu'ils soient institutionnels ou privés, sont confrontés à la difficulté de gestion des terres excavées. Il est ainsi nécessaire de définir des règles et des méthodes visant à encadrer la réutilisation durable des terres dans des conditions garantissant la protection de la santé humaine et de l'environnement. Pour préciser ces règles et fournir aux différents acteurs un cadre commun et directement applicable, le Ministère du développement durable a missionné le BRGM et l'INERIS pour construire un guide méthodologique pour la valorisation des terres excavées en techniques routières et sur des projets d'aménagement. La réalisation de ce guide méthodologique s'appuie sur différents groupes de travail constitués d'un large panel d'acteurs du domaine (associations professionnelles, association de protection de l'environnement, aménageurs, avocats...). Les travaux associés à l'élaboration du guide porte sur la définition de valeurs seuils issues de la prise en compte du risque d'exposition des personnes et de la préservation de la qualité des eaux souterraines. L'élaboration du guide intègre un bench-marking avec les travaux similaires dans les autres pays européens et notamment aux Pays-Bas (ce bench-marking est présenté dans le résumé : " retour d'expérience de la gestion des terres excavées dans les pays de l'Union européenne et notamment aux Pays-Bas et en Angleterre "). L'intervention portera sur : - La présentation du guide en l'état - La présentation des premiers résultats

Vapor emissions from contaminated soils into buildings : comparison between predictions from transport model and field measurements

International audienceSoil vapor migration into house, with subsequent inhalation, is often the main exposure pathway to humans at sites contaminated with Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). In the case of VOCs contamination, quantification of indoor gas concentrations is therefore essential while assessing risks for human health. Two approaches are commonly used for quantification of indoor concentrations: indoor gas measurement or transfer modelization from the source (soil, soil vapor phase, groundwater). Model development is relatively well advanced but measurements for model calibration and "validation" hardly exist in the literature. Furthermore, predictions of indoor gas concentrations from different models may vary by several orders of magnitude, depending on the application. Therefore, the validity of the risk calculation obtained through models, and hence of the site management, remains highly uncertain. The research project presented here aims at providing such "validation" data. Long-term goals of the research are improvement of modelization and also development of tools for site-related model-selection. The program consisted in comparing modelization and experimental measurements on a test site. The site was a former factory with a concrete slab, contaminated with chlorinated solvents (trichloroethene and perchloroethylene) in unsaturated soils. Measurements concerned contaminant concentrations and fluxes in different media and at different transfer stages, but also key mode! parameters. The equations of Johnson & Ettinger and VOLASOIL models were used. Air concentrations measured at various times show significant variations, and also differ from model prediction by one or two orders of magnitude. Despite thorough parameter measurements, uncertainty on input values, related to site heterogeneity, induced high uncertainty in the modelization. The preliminary results presented here show intrinsic limitation of some measurements and hence of model validation, but also the need for data on more sites, including very important site instrumentation which would allow to document the impact of site-heterogeneity

Soil contamination following an industrial accident : towards efficient investigations and assessment

International audienceWhen an industrial accident occurs, e.g. the explosion or the fire of a chemical facility, soil investigations and subsequent risk mitigation generally need to be decided and performed rapidly. This requires specific organisation and tools: Procedures for an immediate and coordinated intervention of relevant actors: industrials, administrations for industrial facilities, emergency and health, local authorities, environmental consultants and laboratories, NGOs. Models and input data on emission, atmospheric transfer and deposition on soil, for an accidental source; investigation plans and adequate soil quality references, guidelines... But the European Seveso legislation, and its application in France and probably in Europe, is focused on the prevention of immediate impacts on health and constructions; and the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) legislation deals with the chronic impacts of operating facilities. Thus, post-accidental impacts of industrial accidents are hardly dealt with, the specific organisation and tools are lacking, and when accidents occur, the industrials and administrations concerned are largely unprepared for managing their delayed impacts, first of them on soils

The GeDSeT project: constitution of a decision support tool (DST) for the management and material recovery of waterways sediments in Belgium and Northern France

International audienceThe European InterReg IV GeDSeT project (2008-2011) is a contribution to a sustainable management of waterways sediments, in order to develop good practice in a perspective of water resource protection and of the development of regional fluvial transport. Waterways sediments are a major environmental issue in the Walloon region of Belgium - Northern France trans-boundary region for several reasons, all of them resulting from the dense habitat, industrial pattern and waterways network, and of a long industrial history. Sediments affect water resources quality, through pollution, and availability, through flooding. Sediment dredging allows the development of environmentally-friendly regional fluvial transport, but also generates important waste deposits. Therefore material recovery for reuse in buildings or infrastructure is a key issue, as it allows a reduction of waste and limits the need for natural resources for the same use. In order to address waterways sediments management in a global way, the GeDSeT project intends to capitalise know-how regarding the criteria to take into account for a sustainable management, and to include them in a decision support methodology applicable to the transboundary context. Such decision support aims at developing good practice in a perspective of water resource management and development of regional fluvial transport. Relevant criteria include: - criteria evaluating the physical and chemical characteristics of the sediments to be dredged, and their level of contamination, - costs of dredging operations and benefits with respect to improved waterways, - potential material value and costs of sediment treatment for material recovery versus costs of sediment deposit management. The decision support methodology will rely in part on previous BRGM and European experience in the development of an environmentally extended, physical, quasi-dynamic input-output model for waste management. Experience from other specific DSTs on sediments will be valorised with the project partners. Potential recovery of secondary resources from dredged sediment will be addressed through a review and economic evaluation of available technologies, technical and economical constraints, side effects on the uses of recovered products, and a global balance of the environmental costs and benefits. Social and employment impacts, as well as land use issues in this densely populated area will be fully acknowledged as primary decision-support criteria. The expected benefit of the project comprises also the transboundary comparison of specific situations and methods, issued from a different history.Le projet InterReg IV GeDSeT (2008-2011) est une contribution à une gestion globale durable des sédiments des voies d’eau, au développement du transport régional fluvial et de bonnes pratiques pour la protection des ressources en eau et de l’espace urbain.Les sédiments des voies d’eau sont un enjeu majeur en Europe, et particulièrement dans la région transfrontalière Belgique Wallonie – Nord de la France pour plusieurs raisons, toutes liées à la densité de l’habitat, du tissu industriel passé et présent, et du réseau de voies d’eau. Non seulement les sédiments affectent la navigabilité, mais aussi la qualité des ressources en eau, par la pollution, et la gestion des inondations. Le curage régulier des sédiments permet le développement d’un transport régional fluvial éco-favorable, mais génère d’importants volumes de déchets potentiels. La réutilisation des sédiments pour la construction ou les infrastructures est donc un enjeu clé, en combinant réduction des déchets et des besoins en ressources naturelles pour le même usage.Afin de prendre en compte la problématique des sédiments fluviaux dans sa globalité, le projet GeDSeT va capitaliser l’état de l’art sur les critères pertinents pour une gestion durable, et les incorporer dans une méthodologie d’aide à la décision applicable au contexte transfrontalier. Cette méthodologie vise à développer des bonnes pratiques en harmonie avec la gestion des ressources en eau, et le développement du transport fluvial régional

Research roadmap for nanosafety - Part III: Closer to the market (CTTM)

Nano-products and nano-enabled applications need a clear and easy-to-follow human and environmental safety framework for the development along the innovation chain from initial idea to market and beyond that facilitates navigation through the complex regulatory and approval processes under which different product categories fall. The missing framework results in a lack of (i) solid data regarding roadblocks to market penetration of nano-enabled products as well as the absence of (ii) transparency in terms of which products (e.g. containing nanomaterials (NMs); nano-enabled products) are on the market (e.g. registries) and voluntary schemes and labelling requirements for cosmetics and food, which processes are used for manufacturing nano-enabled products, and (iii) meager inclusiveness in the dialogue (between all stakeholders) most likely exist as a result of the missing framework. The Closer-to-the-Market-Roadmap (abbrev. CTTM) aims at speeding up the progress towards market implementation of nanotechnologies by outlining the steps needed to develop such a framework. In its current form it is addressed towards policy makers, but the ultimate framework will be designed for use by SME and enterprise organisations

nanoSTAIR: a new strategic proposal to impulse standardization in nanotechnology research

Nanotechnology is considered one of the key technologies of the 21st century within Europe and a Key-Enabling Technology (KET) by Horizon 2020. Standardization has been identified in H2020 as one of the innovation-support measures by bridging the gap between research and the market, and helping the fast and easy transfer of research results to the European and international market. The development of new and improved standards requires high quality technical information, creating a fundamental interdependency between the standardization and research communities. In the frame of project nanoSTAIR (GA 319092), the present paper describes the European scenario on research and standardization in nanotechnology and presents a proposal of a European strategy (nanoSTAIR) to impulse direct "pipelines" between research and standardization. In addition, strategic actions focused on integration of standardization in the R&D projects, from the early stages of the design of a future business (Project Proposal), are also described.European Commission, through the Seventh Framework Programme (GA 319092)

EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA); Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to the substantiation of health claims related to various microorganisms and changes in bowel function, and digestion and absorption of nutrients (ID 960, 961, 967, 969, 971, 975, 983, 985, 994, 996, 998, 1006, 1014), decreasing potentially pathogenic gastro-intestinal microorganisms (ID 960, 967, 969, 971, 975, 983, 985, 994, 996, 998, 1006, 1014), and stimulation of immunological responses (ID 962, 968, 970, 972, 976, 984, 986, 995, 997, 999, 1007, 1015) (further assessment) pursuant to Article 13(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006

<p>Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) was asked to provide a scientific opinion on health claims pursuant to Article 13 of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 in the framework of further assessment related to various microorganisms and changes in bowel function, and digestion and absorption of nutrients, decreasing potentially pathogenic gastro-intestinal microorganisms, and stimulation of immunological responses. The food constituents, <em>Bifidobacterium animalis </em>subsp.<em> lactis</em> THT 010801, <em>Bifidobacterium longum </em>subsp. <em>infantis</em> THT 010201, <em>Bifidobacterium longum </em>subsp.<em> longum</em> THT 010301, <em>Bifidobacterium pseudolongum </em>subsp.<em> pseudolongum</em> THT 010501, <em>Lactobacillus casei</em> THT 030401, <em>Lactobacillus gasseri</em> THT 031301, <em>Lactobacillus helveticus</em> THT 031102, <em>Lactobacillus plantarum</em> THT 030701, <em>Lactobacillus plantarum</em> THT 030707, <em>Lactobacillus reuteri</em> THT 030802, <em>Lactobacillus salivarius</em> THT 031001 and <em>Streptococcus thermophilus</em> THT 070102, are sufficiently characterised. The evidence provided did not establish that the proposed claimed effect, stimulation of immunological responses, is a beneficial physiological effect. The references provided for the health claims related to changes in bowel function and decreasing potentially pathogenic gastro-intestinal microorganisms included studies which assessed the effects of food constituents other than the food constituents which are the subject of the claims and/or investigated health outcomes unrelated to the claimed effects. No human studies which investigated the effects of the food constituents on appropriate measures of the claimed effects were provided. On the basis of the data presented, the Panel concludes that a cause and effect relationship has not been established between the consumption of the food constituents and the claimed effects evaluated in this opinion.</p&gt