Contaminated land is land contaminated by hazardous substances which may pose a risk to human health and/or the environment.
Common land uses which are known to cause contamination include service stations, heavy industry, airports, tanneries, wood treatment sites, landfills and cattle dips. Cleaning up contaminated land is an increasingly urgent and expensive problem, and it's an issue which has received growing public attention in the last three decades. It is estimated that in New South Wales there are around 7,000 sites requiring some level of clean up.
Some common contaminants
Chlordane
Chlordane is a manufactured chemical that was used as a pesticide. Concern about damage to the environment and harm to human health resulted in a ban on all uses of chlordane. Chlordane is strongly hydrophobic; it sticks to soil particles at the soil surface and it can stay in the soil for over 20 years. Chlordane accumulates in fish, birds and mammals; long term exposure to Chlordane affects the nervous system, digestive system and the liver in people and animals.
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)
PAHs occur in oil, coal, and tar deposits, and are produced as byproducts of fuel burning (whether fossil fuel or biomass). As a pollutant, they are of concern because some compounds have been identified as carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic (leading to possible foetal abnormalities).
Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH)
Total petroleum hydrocarbons is a term used to describe a large family of several hundred chemical compounds that originally come from crude oil. Crude oil is used to make petroleum products, which can contaminate the environment. TPH fractions will move into the soil where they may stay for a long time. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has determined that one TPH compound, benzene, is carcinogenic to humans.
Lead
Lead is a poisonous metal that can damage the nervous system and cause blood and brain disorders. Because of its low reactivity and solubility lead poisoning usually only occurs in cases when the lead is dispersed like the peeling, chipping, chalking, or cracking lead-based paint. Older houses may still contain substantial amounts of lead paint.
Asbestos
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that's highly toxic. Asbestos fibres are invisible to the naked eye, can float in the air for a long time and inhaled to the lungs. The inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause serious illnesses, including mesothelioma and asbestosis. In the past, asbestos was used in many different building materials and commonly used in the Australian residential building industry between the 1940s and mid 1980s. Use of asbestos has been banned since the mid 1980s.
|
