Assessing the environmental risks associated with contaminated sites: Definition of an Ecotoxicological Classification index for landfill areas (ECRIS).
Assessing ecological risk in quantitative terms is a site-specific complex procedure requiring evaluation of all possible pathways taken by the chemicals from the contamination source to the targets to be protected. Unfortunately, too many cases lack of physico-chemical and ecotoxicological data makes impossible to quantify the ecological risk. We present the Ecotoxicological Classification Risk Index for Soil (ECRIS), a new classification system specific for soil risk assessment, which gives a comparative indication of the risk linked to environmental contamination by any chemical. The tool we propose is based on the integration of a data set characterizing the ecotoxicological and exposure profile of chemicals. ECRIS is a simple approach specifically set up for the landfill scenario. This index draws on the huge amount of data from our many years of leachate analysis. ECRIS is useful for a first screening of probably contaminated soil. A case study based on some Italian landfills is proposed.
Senese
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V
Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Milan, Italy.
Boriani
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E
Baderna
D
D
Mariani
A
A
Lodi
M
M
Finizio
A
A
Testa
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S
Benfenati
E
E
D054750:Ecotoxicology; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D021281:Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship; D012307:Risk Factors; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*
D009930:Organic Chemicals; D012989:Soil Pollutants