Generic approach

In the UK and many other countries, a risk-based approach is adopted to the assessment of contaminated sites. The overarching principle requires a complete ‘contaminant linkage’ to be present, consisting of all of the following:

A risk is not deemed to exist if any of the three links is missing or interrupted in some way. Importantly, the presence of measurable concentrations of chemicals in the ground does not automatically indicate that there is a contamination problem (i.e. in the absence of a receptor or if a pathway is not present).

Therefore, land contamination becomes an issue of concern in relation to the risks it poses, or the perceived risk. Contamination may not pose a risk, but it may be difficult to dispel negative perceptions.