Abandoned and contaminated land - Environmental Deterioration and Contamination: Problems and their Management - page 85

Figure 3.6 Overview of economic activities in 2007 and 2009 causing soil contamination in European
countries (percentage of investigated sites).

- Waste disposal, leaking or non-lined waste ponds;

- Mine waste disposal, acid mine drainage, metal contamination, erosion and

leached contaminants;

- Former gasworks with stored residues of gas production, of which the gas-mass,

the residue of the washing of the gas and coal tar are the most hazardous;

- Waste burial and hazardous waste burial;

- Storage and application of chemical substances in agriculture;

- Chemical substances directly applied on soil: fertilizers and pesticides, manure,

sewage sludge;

- Imbalanced application of organic waste on soil: higher input than removal;

- Accidents during petroleum mining and transport (oil rigs and wells, tankers,

pipeline and container accidents);

- Industrial and mining accidents such as Chernobyl, Ajka red mud or the Aurul

cyanide spill.

Soil polluting contaminants may be derived from localized sources such as indus-
trial activities, municipal waste disposal, industrial and mine waste disposal and from
diffuse sources such as agricultural and atmospheric deposition. The distribution of soil
contamination from localized pollution sources in Europe is shown in Figure 3.6 (EEA,
2007 and 2012). The contribution of industrial production decreased significantly, by
6%, but oil industry did not follow this trend, showing a 3% increase.
The main contaminants identified in Europe by a representative assessment include
toxic metals, BTEX, PAHs, chlorinated hydrocarbons, inorganic compounds, asbestos
and mineral oil (EEA, 2007).
The same report lists the main receptors, which are considered to be protected
including groundwater (seen mainly as a source of drinking water) and urban and
industrial land uses. The impacts of contaminants on surface waters, coastal areas and
food safety are also seen as relevant. By contrast, the impacts on ecosystems do not
seem to be considered of high priority for remediation.