Contaminated Land Regime: Effective for Clean-up of Land

ENVIRONMENT LAW

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Contaminated land regime .........................................................................................................3
Significant harm to human health...............................................................................................4
Liability for remediation of contaminated land..........................................................................5
Cases that proves that contaminated land regime is effective for clean-up of
land 6
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Environment is a factor about which most of people and scientists are concerned. There
are several rules and regulations that are controlling pollution developed by many nations. In UK
there is a contaminated land regime which is used to clean up polluted land. This report discuss
various provisions of this law. Conclusion is derived on the basis of discussion of these
provisions and same is verified by analyzing different case studies. All these case studies show
different situations decision taken by nations in these conditions.
Contaminated land regime
Contaminated land regime is a very important law and it is used to make sure that land of
UK is contamination free from harmful pollutants. This law came in existence in 2000 when
environment protectionist said that harmful pollutants are deteriorating quality of soil because
firms are releasing their harmful pollutants in water and there is improper disposal of human
wastes and other chemicals used at homes. Due to pollution in ground water land, the land gets
contaminated. This pollution of the land in the UK has caused the government to prepare some
special rules and regulations to curb this problem that is threatening the survival of human and
other animals in UK. Under this law responsibility of local authorities are determined in terms of
steps that they need to take in order to control and reduce pollutants on the land ( Titirici. and
et.al., 2012). This law to prevent significant harm to human health and even other animals. In
research it has been found that if land is contaminated, then it affect human health and animals to
large extent. This not only affect human health but also affect plants and other small living
organism that are on and under that land. To protect land aesthetic deterioration and to keep
general public healthy this law was developed to bring in the UK into a safe state. Under this law
responsibilities of the owner of land were determined and many other relevant provisions were
added. In the same order it was to make sure that in every situation someone is liable for land
contamination.
The contaminated land regime has been effective in ensuring the clean-up of land. This
is achieved by ensuring that every company and anybody is liable for land contamination. In
order to understand effectiveness of this law it is necessary to understand the terms that are used
in this law. As per this law land is considered contaminated when it is polluted by heavy metals,
oils, tars, gases and radioactive substances (Chen. and Chai, 2010), chemicals and human wastes.

This means that if any firm throw its metal of radioactive products garbage on nearby land then
same will be said to be polluted and the company will be held liable by the law for contaminating
the land. Thus, it is clear from the definition that if harmful substances are thrown to the land it
will also be considered as being polluted. As per this law, if the owner of the land or person who
pollute the land will be liable and will be required to clean the land. Legal definition of
contaminated land is a land where substance put a negative impact of species, human beings,
plants and other living organism. The groundwater is said to be contaminated if it. In this law s is
not fit for any organism consumption. The sources from which land is contaminated are clearly
mentioned. The sources from which main pollutant spread on land are refineries, mines, landfills
and former factories (Earthscan.Harris, 2012). Under this law liable person is responsible for
remediation and he will be judged by the law notifying him/her from relevant authority.
Remediation service means that body of government is cleaning a land and liable person has to
pay the authority concerned with collecting of the garbage polluting of the land. It can be said
that in this law definition of contaminated land is clearly determined and liability of relevant
authorities as well as persons is fixed. Therefore this law is effective and ensuring cleaning of
land.
Significant harm to human health
As per this law it is responsibility of the local authority to identify possibility of human
harm by visiting a location. If relevant authority feel that due to contaminated substance human
harm is happening then it can take serious actions against liable person (Wang, Wang. and Ma,
2010). The significant harm to people is measured by identifying the number of sickness cases
in specific geographic area. Some of the diseases caused by the contamination of the land is
cholera, typhoid and others that are life threatening. The pollution of the also affect human
indirectly by causing death of plants that are main source of food for human. This makes human
survival hard. The pollution of the land also affect the small living organisms that enable
decomposition of organics products making manure that provide foods for the plants. In some
cases local authority can assess level of contamination of land and its impact solely or partially
on the basis of estimation of risk that may occur due to consistent use of land for throwing
garbage on land. To decide whether possibility of harm is high, relevant authority determine that
polluted items on land and whether they are severely affecting people. Under this law it is
responsibility of the local authority to assume that there is no any significant harm exists on