Management of abandoned and contaminated land - Environmental Deterioration and Contamination: Problems and their Management - page 178

The main principles have crystallized in the course of the ongoing European
research and development projects as the synthesis of international experience, mainly
US and European results, which are:

- Preventing future pollution;

- Polluter pays;

- Precaution;

- Risk-based decision-making, risk-based priority setting and risk-based remedia-

tion.

Scientific and methodological bases of these principles were:

- Problem definition;

- Preliminary qualitative or semiquantitative risk assessment methodology for listing

and ranking contaminated sites;

- Integrated quantitative risk assessment for decision-making;

- Assessment methodologies of soil and subsurface water, sampling and analysis

tools;

- Exposure modeling by using the most appropriate mathematical, physical or

chemical models;

- Ecotoxicology and toxicology: direct effect assessment at contaminated sites;

- Cost-benefit or cost efficiency assessment.

CARACAS (1996-1998), Concerted Action on Risk Assessment for Contami-
nated Sites in Europe, was a project with scientists and legislators from 16 European
countries. The topics were research and development in the field of:

- Human toxicology;

- Ecotoxicology;

- Transport and fate of contaminants in the environment;

- Survey of contaminated sites, sampling and analytical issues;

- Modeling;

- Environmental quality criteria;

- ERA methodology.

CLARINET, Contaminated Land Rehabilitation Network for Environmental
Technology in Europe (1998-2001), was a project with the participation of scien-
tists, researchers, consultants, government experts, owners of contaminated land and
engineers from 16 EU countries. The project identified the key elements for decision-
making and the necessary research for the management of contaminated sites. Its main
topics were the following:

- Brownfield development;

- The protection of water bases;

- Decision-support tools for contaminated site management;

- Remediation technologies;

- Ecological and human aspects of land uses;

- Cooperation of research and development programs in Europe.