Contaminated Land: The Scale of the Problem in Europe, Costs of Clean Up and Application of Novel Techniques to Reduce Clean Up Costs

The study of contaminated land is relatively a new subject for the Commission of the European Communities (CEC) and for many of the European Community (EC) member countries. It is concerned with the contamination of soil with substances which, under certain circumstances, can be considered hazardous to the users or occupiers of the land; or detrimental to the fabric of buildings and structures in contact with the land; or pose a threat to surrounding soils and water and their associated flora and fauna.