Contaminated sites are often the legacy of decades of activities in the Union, such as industrial or military activities, and can lead to risks to human health and the environment now and in the future. It is therefore necessary first to identify and investigate potentially contaminated sites and then, in the event of confirmed contamination, to assess the risks of the contaminated site and take measures to address unacceptable risks. In this context, it is essential to also consider the impact of contaminated sites on environmental media or matrices other than soil, such as groundwater or surface water. Some of those activities, such as the use of underground storage facilities for dangerous substances, might have taken place in the bedrock or the parent material. Where such underground storage facility has leaked, contaminants might have moved into the bedrock or the parent material, and most likely they will not be found in the soil. However, the contaminants could spread and thus have an impact on human health or the environment. Therefore, if such activities are undertaken at potentially contaminated sites, the bedrock or the parent material in the vicinity of the activity will also have to be investigated to verify whether the activity has caused contamination that has an impact on human health or the environment.
Text as published in the Official Journal, reproduced verbatim (including any typographical quirks of the source). For the authentic version, see EUR-Lex.
