Ecological risk assessment for contaminated sites in Italy: Guidelines and path forward.

Ecological risk assessment (ERA) is defined as an iterative process that evaluates the likelihood of adverse ecological effects resulting from exposure to one or more stressors. Although ERA is recognized as a valuable procedure to better address efforts and strategies for site remediation, in Europe a common framework for the implementation of ERA in the management of contaminated sites is lacking. In Italy, there are no legally binding provisions regulating the direct assessment of potential likelihood of ecological risks. In this context, the main objective of this article was to develop a guideline to facilitate ERA application in support of an effective and sustainable management of contaminated sites in Italy and to facilitate a multistakeholder dialogue. The work was based on a critical review of existing ERA guidelines in the international context, as well as other regulatory documents and technical approaches dealing with the evaluation of ecological effects of chemical contaminants in different environmental compartments. Approaches and tools available in these documents were then used to prepare a proposed guideline for the Italian context; the proposed ERA guideline is meant to represent a flexible but robust approach that can be useful in evaluating existing data (e.g., from past investigations) as well as in the planning of site-specific investigations. To facilitate the direct application of the ERA procedure, the guideline was prepared including several templates of summary tables, checklists, and examples. The proposed ERA guideline could facilitate the decision-making process for contaminated sites with ecological values, although its application would necessarily require, at least in the initial phase, testing of its suitability to the Italian context and setting-up of a close dialogue and collaboration with local authorities and other stakeholders. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;19:913-919. © 2022 SETAC.

Risk-based and sustainable approaches to remediation: Analysis and perspectives of the Italian and international context.

The management of contaminated areas is addressed at the international level with different regulatory instruments and approaches that can influence the selection of technologies, costs, and time for site recovery. The aim of this study was benchmarking the regulatory and technical approach to contaminated areas in both the Italian and international contexts, represented by eight European countries such as, among others, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the USA. An extensive international literature research was considered, including publications and reports by sector operators, legislators, and research groups, that enabled the identification of efficient and sustainable international practices and procedures for the contaminated site reclamation. Particular attention was paid to the status and costs of soil and groundwater remediation in Europe and in the United States. The outcomes of the study have shown that, from regulatory and administrative points of view, the remediation sector in Italy is among the most conservative, that is, more binding in the identification of contaminated sites and in the definition of remediation objectives. To reverse this trend and align it to the other countries that were the focus of this study, the concepts of mobility and/or bioavailability of contaminants, sustainability, and circular economy could be taken into account in the Italian administrative procedures. These concepts are currently only referred to in the Italian legislation but have not been yet made effectively applicable by codified procedures. In the Italian context, the conservative approach to site remediation may negatively affect the process of contaminated site reclamation and ecological transition. Further debate on the development of environmental regulations to align policies among the remediation stakeholders, particularly at the Italian and international regulatory level, is therefore needed. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;19:920-932. © 2022 SETAC.