RESUMO

Management of contaminated sites requires application of remediation technologies to reduce environmental and human health risks, but these actions can also produce negative effects, such as energy and natural resources consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and impacts on local communities. The tenets of sustainability can be used to select sustainable alternatives in the environmental cleanup of these areas to reduce negative consequences and seek new solutions for site reuse. The present study evaluates seven case studies of contaminated sites to identify how sustainable practices were adopted at each site and how environmental, economic and social benefits were achieved. Based on this survey, an in-depth analysis of 48 sustainable management practices was conducted to assess interim actions and institutional controls at a contaminated site located on the campus of University of Sao Paulo (USP) in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The analysis involved a discussion about how future potential improvements to sustainable practices at the site could generate benefits and sustainable gains, such as improvement of quality of life of university students and surrounding communities; reduction of natural resource use, reduction of costs represented by the consumption of water and reduction of demand of potable water for society. The result of this analysis is a site-specific framework of 36 sustainable practices represented by a graphical approach with several examples that can be adopted during assessment and remediation on a case study basis, taking into account the needs and guidelines of the administration of the contaminated site. This approach can easily be adopted by the public and stakeholders who want to apply sustainable practices in other sites. The site-specific framework demonstrates how sustainable principles can be included in the process of contaminated sites management in an integrated process, meeting the needs and expectations of all affected stakeholders.

Assuntos

Poluição Ambiental , Recuperação e Remediação Ambiental , Brasil , Conservação dos Recursos Naturais , Humanos , Recursos Naturais , Qualidade de Vida

RESUMO

Environmental contaminants can have negative effects on human health and land, air and water resources. Consequently, there have been significant advances in regulation for protecting the environment in developed countries including the development of remediation frameworks and guidelines. On the other hand, fewer studies have been reported on the risks and health effects of contaminants in developing regions and there is scarce information regarding contaminated land assessment and environmental remediation. Colombia is an important emerging economy and has started to take the first steps towards the development of a framework for the management of contaminated sites and there are opportunities for the country to learn from countries with well-established frameworks such as the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) and for international collaboration with organisations such as CRC for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CARE). We review main pollution issues, current status of contaminated land management in Colombia to identify the gaps in policy and regulation. We also review the UK and US contaminated land policies and regulations to identify the elements of those experiences that could support progress in the country. Finally, we propose recommendations (e.g. risk based approach, soil screening criteria, clean-up funding, liability) for Colombia that could support further development and implementation of a more effective contaminated land management framework.