Title: Metals Environmental Risk Assessment Guidance - MERAG 
Resource Type: document --> technical publication --> report 
Country: United Kingdom 
Year: 2007 
Author 1/Producer: Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs - Defra 
Other Authors/Producers: International Council on Mining and Metals, Eurometaux, EURAS 
Author / Producer Type: Agency, regulator or other governmental or inter-governmental body 
Publisher: Defra 
Publisher City: London, UK 
Report / download web link (=direct link): http://www.icmm.com/uploads/1538MERAG.pdf  
Format (e.g. PDF): PDF 
Size: (e.g. 20mb) 1 
EUGRIS Keyword(s): Contaminated land-->Contaminants-->Heavy metals
Contaminated land-->Risk assessment-->Risk assessment overview
Contaminated land-->Risk assessment-->Sources
Contaminated land-->Risk assessment-->Tools and procedures
Diffuse pollution-->Processes
Groundwater protection-->Groundwater protection overview
Sediments
Soil-->Soil Overview
Soil-->Soil quality
Water resources and their management -->Water resources and their management Overview
 
Short description: EXTRACT: Minerals and metals are naturally occurring substances that are present in a variety of forms (metal species). Understanding the hazards and risks posed by these chemicals, and managing these adequately, have become key aspects of chemicals management policies that are aligned with the principles of sustainable development. Models and methodologies for evaluating hazards, setting priorities, establishing environmental quality criteria and assessing risks are currently developed and used in several jurisdictions, including the European Union, the United States and Canada. However, because the majority of the compounds assessed are organic substances rather than inorganic metals, the various methodologies and guidance documents provided for performing these assessments are lacking in detail on how to account for metal-specific attributes. Questions related to the specific impact of metals on the environment and on human health and the need to establish ready and accessible metal-specific tools and data sets in order to make informed, science-based decisions have – to an increasing extent – been raised by representatives of local, regional, national and international administrations, as well as by members of nongovernmental organizations, private companies and associations. It was deemed appropriate to develop a guidance document aimed at providing the regulatory community at the regional and international level with the proper scientific and regulatory guidance on the most advanced status of scientific concepts for metals. This Metals Environmental Risk Assessment Guidance therefore consolidates existing experience and recent progress made with environmental risk assessment methods, concepts and methodologies used in chemicals management programs and environmental quality standard setting (soil, water, sediments) for metals. 
Link to Organisation(s): Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
 
Submitted By: Professor Paul Bardos WhoDoesWhat?      Last update: 10/04/2007

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