What is the CLEA project?
The CLEA project:
- develops tools that provide a government supported methodology that you can use to help estimate the risks to people from contaminants in soil on a given site over a long duration of exposure
- provides levels of contamination in soil below which the risks are considered minimal
- provides a starting point to help you assess risks, for instance under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Do I have to use the CLEA tools?
You don't have to use the CLEA guidance for your assessment of risks. You can use alternative risk assessment approaches, provided they meet the requirements of the legislation you are working under.
For instance, under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, you should ensure that the requirements of the statutory guidance are met.
What are the changes to the CLEA project?
We have made changes to the Contaminated Land Exposure Assessment (CLEA) package of software and guidance.
You can use the CLEA package to help you estimate exposure and assess risks to human health from contamination in soil.
The main changes are to the:
- framework report that provides the approach to deriving toxicological data
- framework report that provides the technical background to the CLEA model
- associated software and handbook
These changes will mean that new Health Criteria Values (HCV) and Soil Guideline Values (SGV) will need to be derived to replace those previously published for individual contaminants.
Why have we done this?
The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) published a discussion paper, Soil Guideline Values: the Way Forward'.
In response to the views received from the contaminated land community, Defra has produced two statements, 'Outcome of the ''Way Forward'' exercise on Soil Guideline Values' and 'Guidance on the legal definition of contaminated land'.
These summarise which proposals we are taking forward. The statements are available from Defra.
While revising the guidance, we also conducted an extensive scientific review. Our updated documents and the CLEA software take into account the latest scientific developments. We have also responded to comments by changing the CLEA software so that you can use it in a greater range of circumstances and to give it a better user interface.
What are the limitations of the CLEA tools?
The CLEA project and tools:
- don't cover other types of risk to humans, such as fire, suffocation or explosion, or short-term and acute exposures
- don't cover risks to the environment, such as groundwater, ecosystems or buildings
- don't provide a definitive test for telling when human health risks are significant
- aren't a legal requirement in assessing land contamination risks. They are not part of the legal regime for Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990
