Toxicological Evaluation of Pollutants in Soil — Concept of the AGU and Assessment of Tolerable Concentrations for Metals

Abstract

In view of the high number of waste sites in the industrialized world, health authorities are more and more faced with the problem having to evaluate health risk posed by contaminated soil. Especially sites where children might play are often a matter of concern. In particular, small children may be endangered because of their high susceptibility and potentially high exposure due to direct oral intake of soil. Guideline values set for this population group are usually also applicable to less susceptible or less exposed persons (older children, adults). Playground values have been derived using various methods, but to date no generally accepted procedure for hazard assessment has been established. We report here on a health-based approach for setting values of tolerable soil concentrations above which from a toxicological point of view remediation is indicated. The proposed method was applied to a series of metals often involved at hazardous waste sites.

Arbeitsgemeinschaft Umwelthygiene der Akademie für das öffentliche Gesundheitswesen im Bayerischen Staatsministerium für Arbeit und Sozialordnung, Familie, Frauen und Gesundheit; Landesuntersuchungsamt für das Gesundheitswesen Südbayern, D-85762 Oberschleißheim, FRG