PAH levels in the soil in the Netherlands
| Area | Benzo(a)pyrene1) | Total PAHs3) | |||
| Absolute | relative to | Absolute | relative to | ||
| level | desired quality standard2) | level | desired quality standard2) | ||
| µg/kg4) | |||||
| Northern marine clay region | 19 | 1.7 | 178 | 0.4 | |
| Northern peatland areas | 37 | 1.0 | 424 | 0.3 | |
| and reclaimed areas plus settlements on peat areas | |||||
| Reclaimed land in North Holland | 18 | 2.0 | 165 | 0.4 | |
| and IJsselmeer polders | |||||
| Western meadow areas | 142 | 2.9 | 1 229 | 0.6 | |
| Southern marine clay | 43 | 6.0 | 336 | 1.2 | |
| Northern sandy regions | 22 | 1.0 | 260 | 0.3 | |
| Eastern and central | 33 | 2.2 | 296 | 0.5 | |
| sandy regions | |||||
| Fluvial clay areas | 42 | 2.2 | 397 | 0.5 | |
| Southern sandy regions | 22 | 2.1 | 219 | 0.5 | |
| Source: Groot et al. (1998). | RIVM/EDC/Oct02 | ||||
| 1) One of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). 2) The desired quality standard for soil depends on its organic matter content; soil with a high level of organic matter has a higher desired quality standard. A value of > 1 means above the desired quality standard. 3) Total for the 10 most commonly occurring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. 4) Average concentration in the top 10 cm of the soil. | |||||
Development
The levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are highest in the western meadow areas due to the high atmospheric deposition rate of PAHs as well as the presence of coal residues containing PAHs in urban waste from the past. Since this part of the country has many peatland areas (with a high organic matter content upon which the desired quality standards are based), the desired quality standards are higher. The average total level for the ten most common PAHs is therefore below the desired quality standard.
The absolute levels in the southern marine clay areas are more or less the same as in the fluvial clay areas, but the average levels in the marine clay areas are above the desired quality standard. This is because the desired quality standard is lower due to the lower organic matter content. This is not the case in the fluvial clay area. There are virtually no exceedances of desired quality standards for totals of the ten most common PAHs in the rest of the Netherlands.
Policy
The policy objective for the long term conforms with the desired quality standard everywhere.
Relevance
High PAH levels in the soil of rural areas have a negative effect on soil ecosystems.
