Abstract
The simplest means of providing a barrier between toxic materials and potential targets is to cover them with clean fill materials. The protection offered is immediate but it is necessary to question the long-term effectiveness because there are processes which might lead to toxic substances being brought to the surface (this is in addition to deterioration due to erosion, changes in the water table, flooding etc). These processes are: (i) moisture movement upwards due to capillarity of the soil(s) bringing with it water-soluble substances and (ii) uptake of toxic substances by vegetation. The question is not whether such phenomena will occur but rather: (i) whether they occur at a rate and scale that will undo the protection provided by the cover and (ii) how to design a cover system to resist these effects.
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© 1986 Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Dordrecht
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Smith, M.A., Bell, R.M. (1986). Upward Movement of Metals into Soil Covering Metalliferous Waste. In: Assink, J.W., Van Den Brink, W.J. (eds) Contaminated Soil. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5181-5_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5181-5_14
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-8793-3
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-5181-5
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