Environmental Geology and Contamination

ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY AND CONTAMINATION
[Author Name(s), First M. Last, Omit Titles and Degrees]
[Institutional Affiliation(s)]

Contents
INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................................................. 2
Project Background..................................................................................................................................................... 2
Project Setting............................................................................................................................................................ 3
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES................................................................................................................................................... 4
Aim :........................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Objectives................................................................................................................................................................... 4
LITERATURE REVIEW...................................................................................................................................................... 4
Introduction................................................................................................................................................................ 4
The framework of management for the contaminated land in United Kingdom......................................................5
The CLEA Model.......................................................................................................................................................... 8
Disparities in Part IIA in Portsmouth, Bishop Street Portsea....................................................................................... 9
Limitations of both GACs and criterion assessment values of the same type...........................................................10
Mode of Occurrence, Toxicity Level on Human Health for the Elements of Interest.................................................11
Arsenic (As)........................................................................................................................................................... 11
Cadmium (Cd)....................................................................................................................................................... 12
Chromium (Cr)....................................................................................................................................................... 13
Lead (Pb)............................................................................................................................................................... 14
Nickel (Ni).............................................................................................................................................................. 15
Factors of transfer from the soil to the plant............................................................................................................ 21
Theoretical Exposure Model for Allotment Land Use................................................................................................. 22

Conceptual Site Model of the study area, with explanation of source, pathways and receptors with their pollutant
linkages.................................................................................................................................................................... 23
Major contamination sources................................................................................................................................. 23
Receptor................................................................................................................................................................ 29
MATERIALS AND METHODS.......................................................................................................................................... 29
Pilot Study................................................................................................................................................................ 29
Estimation of the size of the sample......................................................................................................................... 30
Identification of the Site of the Study as well as recruitment of the participants.....................................................32
Sample collection as well as storage..................................................................................................................... 34
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION.......................................................................................................................................... 34
Site –Specific risk assessment using CLEA model.................................................................................................. 34
Elements Concentrations in the Soil...................................................................................................................... 35
DISCUSSION, CONCLUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS.............................................................................................. 40
Research limitations................................................................................................................................................. 44
Conclusion................................................................................................................................................................ 44
Recommendations.................................................................................................................................................... 47
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................................................ 49

INTRODUCTION
Project Background
Contamination of land is a common problem which is associated with the degradation of land value as well as the built environment.
Some of the sources of land contamination include anthropogenic activities and natural processes which may be recorded as part of the
land state. In the United Kingdom (UK), one of the important goals to the nation’s sustainability is the reuse of the so-called “brown
fields”. It is interesting to note that majority of the brown fields are being regenerated with the present developments. The studies have
revealed that the increased brownfield re-use can possibly results into the exposure of human to soil contaminants.
The risk assessment to contaminated land will involve identification of the links between the exposure pathway(s), source of
contamination and receptors. It is therefore very crucial to have a clear understanding while conducting very comprehensive
assessment of risks. It is equally important to note that the current models which are used in the assessment of the contaminated land
exposure including ‘Contaminated Land Exposure Assessment (CLEA)’ as utilized in the UK are very conservative. This is because
majority of the input parameters of the model are purely based on conservative measurements. This can possibly lead t the
overestimation of the exposure of human to soil contaminants. The consequence of such over-estimation is the negative financial
implications which are incurred through cost remediation which are unnecessary. In some instances it may be through restrictions on

the land-use. This highlights the relevance of having improved understanding as far as human exposure to soil contaminants is
concerned. This particular research work has therefore been conceived in response to this particular need.
Project Setting
The toxic elements commonly occur in the historic industrial sites including the Iron work sites. There is an increase demand for land
in the UK for the establishment of the industries while the previous places are already contaminated. Also the increased rate of
urbanization has led to the increase in demand for the allotments. Such allotments are required to assist in meeting the needs of urban
dwellers who are already interested in growing their own food crops (Parker et al.2013). Vegetables and fruits are actually grown in
the contaminated soil in Bishop Street Portsea which has been an historic site for Iron works. The vegetable and fruits which have
been grown in this particular area may possibly results in the exposure of human to the elements which are toxic through consumption
of home-grown produce. The case study has therefore selected allotment land-use for this particular study. This particular study has
been limited to Bishop Street Portsea which is regarded as historic Ironworks site in the UK. Despite the fact there might be a wide
range of toxic elements present in the contaminated soil, this particular project has focused on Cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As),lead(Pb),
chromium(Cr) and finally nickel(Ni). The selection of these elements was on the basis that they are usually common in the soil. Also
there was interest of the research work being carried out to determine the level of the human exposure to the same elements. When
people are exposed to these elements, they can potentially lead to adverse impacts on their health. For example, cases of cancer,
kidney complexities and damages to liver are all attributed to the accumulation of these elements in the body.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
Aim :
 To assess the risks of contaminated land exposure for human health.
Objectives
i. Derive site specific soil assessment criteria through the characteristics of contaminants and people likely to be present in site.
ii. Assess metal concentration in soil and their potential risk to human health.
iii. Derive a conceptual Site Model of the study area, with explanation of source, pathways and receptors with their pollutant
linkages.
iv. Suggest possible remediation to reduce the risk of exposure of human to these contaminants.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
The aim of this paper is to give the literature review concerning the exposure of human beings to the polluted soil, emphasizing on the
chosen five toxic substances, that is, arsenic, lead, cadmium, chromium and nickel alongside portion of land use. It provides the basic
information necessary to attain the set ambitions as well as the targeted objectives for the research activity. The chapter opens up with
consideration on the management framework of the contaminated land in United Kingdom. This was then followed by an overview of
such substances in the soil and their levels of toxicity (Parker et al.2013). The paper work goes further to outline the uptake of such
substances by plants from the soil and a theoretical exposure model for land use atonement. The chapter also presents an outline of the

relevant methods of bio-accessibility test regarding the elements alongside selection validation for the applied method of bio-
accessibility test for the research work. At the last parts of the paper, the chapter defines bio-monitoring at the same time outlines
exposure biomarkers together with the models of PBPK for the toxic substances. The paper therefore assists in the identification of the
addressed knowledge gap resulting into the contents and methods of discussion for the paper.
The framework of management for the contaminated land in United Kingdom
Land contamination in the states of UK is linked to the poor practices of the industries and improper management of wastes. The rich
heirloom for the states of UK has led to vestige in land pollution. Thus, the state of UK has put in place a framework to verify and at
the same time manage the possible risks that come as a result of land pollution, through legislative bodies like Department of
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and Environment Agency.
The regulation of contaminated land regime in states of UK is done by the Environment Protection Act part IIA, which offers a
mechanism of managing the unacceptable risks resulting from pollution of land to the environment as well as to the health of
individuals. The assigned policy works hand in hand with other legislative bodies under the support of National Planning Policy
Framework in Portsmouth generated by Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).The planning process puts into
considerations land pollution in the framework. A framework that bears the same features has also been identified in Bishop Street
Portsea by the UK Government.

The definition presented by the Act on contaminated land is “a land that appears to the law within the locality with specific state of
location, by substantial reasons under, in or on the land, that a great harm is generated or is likely to result; or a result, or likelihood
in controlled water pollution.” The UK Governmental Act installed in 2000 requires the local authorities to identically confirm and
offer protection to contaminated land remediation in their corresponding regions. Declaring a land as “contaminated” call for the
presence of a valid contaminant link of source – pathway – receptor as per the Environment Agency.
Though the risk posed by land contamination impacts on various receptors like ecological, water resource and human receptors, the
research work will only cover the latter due to the outside scope of the research work for other receptors.
UK states apply a tiered tactic for risk evaluation on the health status of an individual to help manage the contamination of land. The
tactic encompasses Conceptual Site Model (CSM) development by use of the contaminant linkage of source – pathway – receptor as
indicated in the figure below.