Inconsistencies in How Environmental Risk Is Evaluated in Sweden for Dumping Dredged Sediment at Sea

Millions of tons dredged sediment are dumped at sea annually. International conventions limit dumping when there is a risk adverse ecological effects, for example if the contaminated. However, perception differs substantially among stakeholders and in Sweden lack guidelines how to address such risk. In current study, we examined exemptions Swedish ban on sea, explore extent aspects were considered evaluation risks. We analyzed data from all cases granted exemption by county administrative boards court considering beginning 2015 June 2020. found that while least common alternative management method total number (98/792), main terms volume (30.8/38.2 million m 3 ). When exemptions, courts mainly evaluated exposure contaminants resuspended environment adjacent dumpsite. The risks characterized based various lines reasoning, relying reference values not scientific correlation environmental argue evaluations line with regulations international as they insufficiently accounted ecotoxicological sediment. These issues potentially similar other Baltic Sea countries, where dependency binary chemical values.