Contamination

Cundill, A.; Bacon, J.; Dale, P.; Fordyce, F.M.; Fowler, D.; Hedmark, A.; Hern, A.; Skiba, U. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8659-6092. 2011 Contamination. In: Dobbie, K.E.; Bruneau, P.M.C.; Towers, W., (eds.) The state of Scotland's soil. SEPA, 45-71.

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Abstract/Summary

Soil contamination occurs when substances are added to soil, resulting in increases in concentrations above background or reference levels. Pollution may follow from contamination when contaminants are present in amounts that are detrimental to soil quality and become harmful to the environment or human health. Contamination can occur via a range of pathways including direct application to land and indirect application from atmospheric deposition. Contamination was identified by SEPA (2001) as a significant threat to soil quality in many parts of Scotland. Towers et al. (2006) identified four principal contamination threats to Scottish soils: acidification; eutrophication; metals; and pesticides. The Scottish Soil Framework (Scottish Government, 2009) set out the potential impact of these threats on the principal soil functions. Severe contamination can lead to “contaminated land” [as defined under Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act (1990)]. This report does not consider the state and impacts of contaminated land on the wider environment in detail. For further information on contaminated land, see ‘Dealing with Land Contamination in Scotland’ (SEPA, 2009). This chapter considers the causes of soil contamination and their environmental and socio-economic impacts before going on to discuss the status of, and trends in, levels of contaminants in Scotland’s soils.

Item Type:	Publication - Book Section
Programmes:	BGS Programmes 2010 > Land Use, Planning and Development CEH Topics & Objectives 2009 - 2012 > Biogeochemistry
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Billett (to November 2013)
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:	Item is Chapter 5 in book - p. 45-71. Full report also available for download from URL above
NORA Subject Terms:	Atmospheric Sciences
Date made live:	24 Jun 2011 12:58 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/14555

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