Recent Advances in Contaminated Site Remediation

摘要: The recent poisoning of thousands people through exposure to arsenic, asbestos (Naidu et al. 1996) and benzene has highlighted the massive challenge that contaminants pose risk for both human environmental health. Globally, there are more than 3,000,000 potentially contaminated sites (Singh Naidu 2012) which besides posing risks health well-being humans environment, also represent a large lost economic opportunity. Contamination is legacy industrialization, inadequate laws inconsistent lacking enforcement. At biennial International Committee on Contaminated Land, World Bank reported it had integrated contamination into its ‘Greening Development Sustainable Urban Development’ agenda. Although site been recognised since 1960s, less tenth globally have remediated due complex challenging nature surface subsurface contamination. These challenges further exacerbated by cost technical difficulty dealing with contaminant mixtures, as well recalcitrant persistent pollutants. Common include petroleum hydrocarbons, chlorinated solvents, organic pollutants, pesticides, inorganics, heavy metals radioactive constituents. can be found in variety such oil gas operations, service stations, mines, industrial complexes, landfills, waterways, harbours even runoff from urban residential settings. In most countries, scale problem difficult assess, ‘contaminated land’ or ‘site contamination’ often subjectively poorly defined, statute. Very few efforts made develop an inventory developing although practices societal drive growth continue increase land water bodies. countries stringent regulatory guidelines, adherence policing these remains major problem. rapid expansion fringe mass migration rural areas causing substantial Water Air Soil Pollut (2013) 224:1705 DOI 10.1007/s11270-013-1705-z