Application of environmental risk analysis at contaminated sites.

Contaminated sites represent a challenge for all European Countries. Clean-up strategies currently focus on a risk-based approach for the definition of remediation goals. Many of the technical standards developed for the application of risk assessment at contaminated sites do not take into account the risk posed to human health by sediment contamination in a common framework. The present paper describes the technical procedure for the application of human health risk assessment at contaminated sites developed and recently updated by the National Environmental Agency and Technical Services (APAT ) of Italy, according to the suggestions of a working group, coordinated by APAT , and composed by members of the main Italian scientific institutes (ISS and ISPESL) and of the Italian Regional Environmental Agencies (ARPA). Furthermore the main issues posed by the application of human health environmental risk analysis to contaminated sediments are discussed.