Technical Guidance Sheet (TGS) on normal levels of contaminants in English soils : Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) : technical guidance sheet TGS04, July 2012

Normal levels of contaminant concentrations in soils are referred to in the contaminated land Statutory Guidance for the Part 2A regime Defra 2012. This Technical Guidance Sheet (TGS) gives an indication as to what arsenic concentrations can be expected in soils based on results from samples systematically collected across England. Normal Background Concentrations (NBCs) can be used along with other criteria (e.g. site investigation data and risk assessments) to help decide whether land is contaminated land as defined by Part 2A, on a site-by-site basis. The NBCs are not intended to be a tool to be utilised when undertaking works via the planning regime. They are contaminant concentrations that are seen as typical and widespread in topsoils (depth 0 – 15 cm) and include contributions from both natural and diffuse anthropogenic sources. When using this Guidance Sheet, please refer to the section on ‘Using Normal Background Concentrations’ at the end, the Supplementary Information, and the revised Part 2A Statutory Guidance.