The Communities are committed to reducing health risks with strict criteria for the evaluation of contaminated soils.

The Regional Government of Andalusia has recently approved the “Guide for the assessment of risks to human health in potentially contaminated soils”, a document that sets the guidelines for the execution of soil studies. The publication of guidelines, a practice not implemented in all Communities, is becoming increasingly relevant because, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), chemical substances that are not properly administered can have a negative influence on human health and the environment.

The Andalusian agency has prepared a document with data estimations, analysis methodologies and risk characterizations to guarantee minimum quality and environmental control. The text is divided into twelve points, which follow the usual structure of the evaluation processes: data collection and evaluation, exposure analysis, toxicological analysis, risk characterization, uncertainty analysis and calculation of risk indices, among others.

The guide mainly contemplates the assessment of any existing contamination source, contaminant transport mechanisms, exposure pathways and possible receptors.

The Basque Country, a benchmark in the assessment of contaminated soils

The Basque Country is a clear reference in legislation and control of potentially contaminated soils, since it has had official regulatory texts since 1997. All the specific regulations that have been approved are the result of the first and urgent interventions carried out on contaminated soils, which gave rise to the Master Plan for Soil Protection (1994). Since then, the publications on the subject have been a constant trickle: the “Methodological Guide: Risk analysis, migration and monitoring of contaminants in soil and groundwater”; the “Methodological Guide: Risk analysis for human health and ecosystems”; the “Technical Guide: Safety for the investigation and recovery of contaminated soils”; and the “Technical Guide for the Identification of Preventive Measures against soil contamination”.

Other territories with guidelines on contaminated soils

Other communities have also been implementing strategies for soil protection. This is the case of Galicia and its “Guía metodológica y técnica para la investigación de la calidad del suelo de Galicia” (2006); and of Murcia, with the “Guía metodológica para actividades potencialmente contaminadoras del suelo de la región de Murcia” (2011). Both appeared in response to the need to adopt measures to avoid, limit and reduce the impact of human activities on the soil, and establish as a fundamental premise the preparation of a basic situation report. In Murcia, risk assessment, administrative procedures and decontamination projects are also contemplated.

It also focuses on a base report, the “Soil Quality Investigation Guide” of Madrid, which in turn delves into exploration techniques and analytical methods. The community also has the “Technical Instructions for Risk Analysis within the scope of Royal Decree 9/2005 of January 14, 2005 in the Community of Madrid”. Aragón goes even further in its 2004 regulations, since its texts set out good practices, contemplate possible changes in land use and even present historical case studies of contaminated soils.

Finally, the Catalonian guide, “Minimum requirements for preliminary investigation reports on the quality of subsoil”, is structured in three blocks: minimum content of the report, minimum content of the investigation and supervision of the actions. It also establishes that it is essential that the technical person responsible for the field work and the preparation of the reports has sufficient knowledge and proven experience.