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Abstract
The need to develop approaches for risk-based management of soil contamination, as
well as the integration of the assessment of the human health risk (HHR) due to the
soil contamination in the urban planning procedures has been the subject of recent
attention of scientific literature and policy makers. The spatial analysis of environmental
data offers multiple advantages for studying soil contamination and HHR assessment,
facilitating the decision making process. The aim of this study was to explore the
possibilities and benefits of spatial implementation of a quantitative HHR assessment
methodology for a planning case in a typical urban environment where the soil is contaminated.
The study area is located in the city of Grugliasco a part of the Turin (Italy) metropolitan
area. The soils data were derived from a site specific soil survey and the land-use
data from secondary sources. In the first step the soil contamination data were geo-statistically
analysed and a spatial soil contamination data risk modelling procedure designed.
In order to spatially assess the HHR computer routines were developed using GIS raster
tools. The risk was evaluated for several different land uses for the planned naturalistic
park area. The HHR assessment indicated that the contamination of soils with heavy
metals in the area is not sufficient to induce considerable health problems due to
typical human behaviour within the variety of urban land uses. An exception is the
possibility of direct ingestion of contaminated soil which commonly occurs in playgrounds.
The HHR evaluation in a planning case in the Grugliasco Municipality confirms the
suitability of the selected planning option. The construction of the naturalistic
park presents one solution for reducing the impacts of soil contamination on the health
of citizens. The spatial HHR evaluation using GIS techniques is a diagnostic procedure
for assessing the impacts of urban soil contamination, with which one can verify planning
options, and provides an important step in the integration of human health protection
within urban planning procedures.