Development and Implementation of Soil Quality and Cleanup Criteria for Contaminated Sites

A critical but vexing problem with contaminated land has always been assessing the significance of contamination and the degree of cleanup required for contaminated soils and sediments. Various approaches have evolved to address this difficult issue and debate continues over which is the most appropriate. With the growing number of contaminated sites, the majority of which are non-catastrophic, interest in criteria-based approaches has grown. While there are difficulties associated with the development and implementation of generic criteria, they serve a definite purpose in an overall program for contaminated land management their usage is gaining favor in a growing number of jurisdictions around the world. 29 refs., 3 tabs