TY - JOUR
T1 - Application of ecological risk assessment based on a novel TRIAD-tiered approach to contaminated soil surrounding a closed non-sealed landfill
AU - Gutiérrez, Laura
AU - Garbisu, Carlos
AU - Ciprián, Estela
AU - Becerril, José M.
AU - Soto, Manu
AU - Etxebarria, Javier
AU - Madariaga, Juan M.
AU - Antigüedad, Iñaki
AU - Epelde, Lur
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2015/5/1
Y1 - 2015/5/1
N2 - The Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) is a reliable tool for communicating risk to decision makers in a comprehensive and scientific evidence-based way. In this work, a site-specific ERA methodology based on the TRIAD approach was applied to contaminated soil surrounding a closed non-sealed landfill, as a case study to implement and validate such ERA methodology in the Basque Country (northern Spain). Initially, the procedure consisted of the application of a Parameter Selection Module aimed at selecting the most suitable parameters for the specific characteristics of the landfill contaminated soil, taking into consideration the envisioned land use, intended ecosystem services and nature of contaminants. Afterwards, the selected parameters were determined in soil samples collected from two sampling points located downstream of the abovementioned landfill. The results from these tests were normalized to make them comparable and integrable in a risk index. Then, risk assessment criteria were developed and applied to the two landfill contaminated soil samples. Although the lack of a proper control soil was evidenced, a natural land use was approved by the ERA (at Tier 2) for the two landfill contaminated soils. However, the existence of a potential future risk resulting from a hypothetical soil acidification must be considered.
AB - The Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) is a reliable tool for communicating risk to decision makers in a comprehensive and scientific evidence-based way. In this work, a site-specific ERA methodology based on the TRIAD approach was applied to contaminated soil surrounding a closed non-sealed landfill, as a case study to implement and validate such ERA methodology in the Basque Country (northern Spain). Initially, the procedure consisted of the application of a Parameter Selection Module aimed at selecting the most suitable parameters for the specific characteristics of the landfill contaminated soil, taking into consideration the envisioned land use, intended ecosystem services and nature of contaminants. Afterwards, the selected parameters were determined in soil samples collected from two sampling points located downstream of the abovementioned landfill. The results from these tests were normalized to make them comparable and integrable in a risk index. Then, risk assessment criteria were developed and applied to the two landfill contaminated soil samples. Although the lack of a proper control soil was evidenced, a natural land use was approved by the ERA (at Tier 2) for the two landfill contaminated soils. However, the existence of a potential future risk resulting from a hypothetical soil acidification must be considered.
KW - Ecosystem risk assessment
KW - Polluted soil
KW - TRIAD method
KW - Tiered approach
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84922213159&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.01.103
DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.01.103
M3 - Article
C2 - 25659305
AN - SCOPUS:84922213159
SN - 0048-9697
VL - 514
SP - 49
EP - 59
JO - Science of the Total Environment
JF - Science of the Total Environment
ER -