Site-Specific Ecological Risk Assessment - Dealing with Contaminated Sites: From Theory Towards Practical Application - page 693

Chapter 15
Site-Specific Ecological Risk Assessment

Michiel Rutgers and John Jensen

Abstract In many countries, soil quality is expressed in chemical concentrations
as Soil Quality Standards to address the potential ecological risks in a first tier of an
Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA). In cases where application of these standards
do not provide satisfactory results, additional tools are required. In this chapter the
focus is on these tools, i.e. ERA taking into account the complete mixture of contam-
inants and the integration of data from bioassays and field ecological observations
according to a weight of evidence approach. A straightforward Triad framework,
combining three lines of evidence, was introduced in the Netherlands in 2007 and
is presented here.

Contents

15.1 The Soil Ecosystem and Site-Specific Risk Assessment ................

694

15.1.1 Appreciation of the Ecosystem at Contaminated Sites ............. 696

15.1.2 Stakeholder Involvement .............................. 696

15.2 Working Hypotheses, Definition of Conceptual Models and ERA Frameworks .. 698

15.3 Weight of Evidence and the Triad Approach .......................

700

15.4 Practical Issues for Adoption of the Triad Approach ..................

701

15.4.1 Uncertainty ...................................... 701

15.4.2 Selection of Assessment Tools ........................... 702

15.4.3 Quantification and Scaling ............................. 703

15.4.4 Weighting of Effect Values .............................

706

15.4.5 Reference Information ................................

707

15.5 Integration of Lines of Evidence and Final Results ................... 708

15.6 Embedding ERA in Formal Assessment Frameworks .................. 710