EAD Technical Guidance Document For Assessing Sites For Soil Contamination in AD Emirates English AW

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Environment Agency- ABU DHABI
Technical Guidance Document

for Assessing Sites for Soil Contamination
in Abu Dhabi Emirate
EAD-EO-PR-TG-10
Revision number: 00
19 March 2018
Signature on Original Signature on Original Signature on Original
Environment Quality Sector *Corporate Management Representative Secretary General

Originated By Reviewed By Approved By
• Refer to SG Adminislrat1Ve orders No 08/2008, No. 17/2008, and No. 16/2008 and SG Circulars S.G/C-13/10 and S.G/C-
15/10 Concerning Management of the Quality, Environment, Health, and Safety Management System at the Environment
Agency-Abu Dhabi.
Technical Guidance Document for Assessing Sites for
Soil Contamination in Abu Dhabi Emirate
Table of Contents
Section I. Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................... 10
I.1 Purpose ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10
I.2 Scope ........................................................................................................................................................................ 10
Section II. Legal Framework ......................................................................................................................................................... 11
Section III. Soil Contamination Site Assessment Process ............................................................................................................ 13
Section IV. PSA Process .............................................................................................................................................................. 16
IV.1 Desktop Review ........................................................................................................................................................ 16
Site Identification and Ownership ................................................................................................................. 16
Site Use and Physical Features (Current and Proposed) ............................................................................. 16
Site History ................................................................................................................................................... 16
Environmental Setting................................................................................................................................... 17
IV.2 Site Inspection........................................................................................................................................................... 17
Site Profile .................................................................................................................................................... 18
IV.3 Interviews .................................................................................................................................................................. 19
IV.4 CSM 20
IV.5 Initial Risk Screening ................................................................................................................................................. 22
Section V. PSA Report.................................................................................................................................................................. 23
List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................................................ 23
Definitions of Terms ............................................................................................................................................................ 24
List of Tables ....................................................................................................................................................................... 24
List of Figures...................................................................................................................................................................... 24
V.1 Chapter 1—Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................... 24
V.1.1 Site Description and Statement of Requirements ......................................................................................... 24
V.1.2 Summary of Findings .................................................................................................................................... 24
V.2 Chapter 2—Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 25
V.2.1 Site Location ................................................................................................................................................. 25
V.2.2 Proponent Information .................................................................................................................................. 25
V.2.3 PSA Investigators ......................................................................................................................................... 25
V.2.4 Statement of Requirement ............................................................................................................................ 25
V.3 Chapter 3—Legal Framework ................................................................................................................................... 25
V.4 Chapter 4—Site Investigation ................................................................................................................................... 25
V.4.1 Desktop Review and Site Inspection ............................................................................................................ 25
General Documentation ................................................................................................................................ 26
Facility Characteristics (current and historical) ............................................................................................. 26
Pollutant Information (list and describe, current and historical) .................................................................... 26
V.4.2 Interviews ..................................................................................................................................................... 26
V.4.3 Opportunistic Sampling ................................................................................................................................. 27
Doc. ID: EAD EQ-PR-TG-10 Issue Date: March 2018 Rev. Date: N/A Rev. No.: 00 Page No.: 2 of 81
V.5 Chapter 5—Initial Risk Screening ............................................................................................................................. 27
V.5.1 Summary of Findings and Assessment of Risks ........................................................................................... 27
V.5.2 Data Gaps and Uncertainties ........................................................................................................................ 29
V.5.3 Discussion and Conclusions ......................................................................................................................... 29
PSA Report Annexes .......................................................................................................................................................... 30
Section VI. DSA Process .............................................................................................................................................................. 31
VI.1 Sampling Plan ........................................................................................................................................................... 31
VI.1.1 General Information ...................................................................................................................................... 31
VI.1.2 Sample Locations: Pattern and Density ........................................................................................................ 31
Sampling Patterns and Densities for Soil and Clean Fill Stockpile Sampling ............................................... 33
VI.1.3 Sample Depth ............................................................................................................................................... 33
VI.1.4 Background Control Points ........................................................................................................................... 34
VI.1.5 Field Screening Techniques ......................................................................................................................... 35
VI.1.6 Soil Sampling ................................................................................................................................................ 35
Discrete Samples.......................................................................................................................................... 36
Composite Samples...................................................................................................................................... 36
Duplicate Samples ........................................................................................................................................ 36
Field Parameters .......................................................................................................................................... 36
VI.1.7 Sampling of Secondary Media ...................................................................................................................... 37
VI.1.8 Sample Analysis ........................................................................................................................................... 38
VI.1.9 Data Review ................................................................................................................................................. 38
VI.1.10 Example Soil Sampling Case Study ............................................................................................................. 39
VI.2 DSA Risk Assessment Matrix.................................................................................................................................... 42
VI.2.1 Severity: Comparison with Contaminant SLs and CLs ................................................................................. 42
VI.2.2 Likelihood: Site-Specific Evaluation of Exposure .......................................................................................... 42
VI.2.3 Applying the Risk Assessment Matrix ........................................................................................................... 43
VI.3 Next Steps................................................................................................................................................................. 44
Section VII. DSA Report ............................................................................................................................................................... 45
List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................................................ 45
Definitions of Terms ............................................................................................................................................................ 46
List of Tables ....................................................................................................................................................................... 46
List of Figures...................................................................................................................................................................... 46
VII.1 Chapter 1—Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................... 46
VII.1.1 Site Description and Statement of Requirements ......................................................................................... 46
VII.1.2 Summary of Findings .................................................................................................................................... 46
VII.2 Chapter 2—Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 46
VII.2.1 Site Location ................................................................................................................................................. 47
VII.2.2 Proponent Information .................................................................................................................................. 47
VII.2.3 DSA Investigators ......................................................................................................................................... 47
VII.2.4 Statement of Requirement ............................................................................................................................ 47
VII.3 Chapter 3—Legal Framework ................................................................................................................................... 47
VII.4 Chapter 4—DSA Sampling and Analysis Program .................................................................................................... 48
VII.4.1 General Considerations ................................................................................................................................ 48
VII.4.2 Sampling and Analysis Plan ......................................................................................................................... 48
VII.4.3 Summary of Results, Findings, and Revised CSM ....................................................................................... 49
VII.5 Chapter 5—Risk Assessment Reporting ................................................................................................................... 49
VII.5.1 Comparison to SLs and CLs ......................................................................................................................... 50
VII.5.2 Site-Specific Evaluation of Exposure ............................................................................................................ 50
VII.5.3 Application of Risk Assessment Matrix ......................................................................................................... 51
VII.5.4 Conclusions, Data Gaps, and Uncertainties ................................................................................................. 51
DSA Report Annexes .......................................................................................................................................................... 52
VIII. References ............................................................................................................................................................................ 53
Annex A: Potentially Contaminating Industries, Activities, and Land Uses ................................................................................... 55
Annex B: Data Gathering Checklists for the Preliminary Site Assessment and the Detailed Site Assessment............................. 69
Annex C: Example Soil Sampling Densities .................................................................................................................................. 80
List of Tables
Table 1. Summary of regulatory instruments related to soil contamination assessment in the UAE ............................................. 11
Table 2. Descriptions of steps in figure 1 to address contaminated sites ..................................................................................... 15
Table 3. Typical exposure pathways at a contaminated soil site .................................................................................................. 21
Table 4. Standard table of contents for the PSA report ................................................................................................................. 23
Table 5. Examples of soil sampling patterns and approaches ...................................................................................................... 32
Table 6. Basic soil sample types (EAD, 2016; EPA, 2014) ........................................................................................................... 35
Table 7. Typical soil analytical methods and method detection limits (MDLs) .............................................................................. 38
Table 8. Standard table of contents for the DSA report ................................................................................................................. 45
Table 9. Considerations for sampling and analysis of soil and secondary environmental media along exposure
pathways ........................................................................................................................................................................ 49
List of Figures
Figure 1. Overall process map for addressing contaminated soil sites (highlighted steps indicate focus of this TGD) ................. 14
Figure 2. Opportunistic samples can be collected during the PSA where observations (spills, stains, leaks,
discolorations) or other information suggest that contamination may have occurred (Source: EAD, 2017a) .......... 19
Figure 3. Schematic of the major components in a conceptual site model ................................................................................... 21
Figure 4. Example AOC diagram showing contamination areas and important on-site structures................................................ 28
Figure 5. Example of a refined CSM for a PSA that shows the complete and partial pathways for each source-receptor
linkage ..................................................................................................................................................................... 29
Figure 6. Observations of changes in soil color, lithology, and moisture content can provide information relevant to
contamination at depth in the soil profile (Source: EAD, 2017a) ............................................................................. 34
Figure 7. Systematic surface soil sampling grid for evaluation of a change of industrial to residential land use ........................... 41
Figure 8. DSA risk matrix with low, moderate, and high-relative risk scores ................................................................................. 43
Figure 9. Key questions for site-specific evaluation of exposure .................................................................................................. 51
List of Abbreviations
ACM Asbestos-Containing Material
ADFCA Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority
ADS Abu Dhabi Specifications
AOC Area of Concern
APHA American Public Health Association
As Arsenic
ATSDR Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
B Boron
Be Beryllium
CA DTSC California Department of Toxic Substances Control
Cd Cadmium
CL Cleanup Level
cm Centimeter
Co Cobalt
COC Contaminant of Concern
COP Code of Practice
Cr Chromium
CSM Conceptual Site Model
Cu Copper
DNT 2,4-dinitrotoluene
DSA Detailed Site Assessment
EAD Environment Agency–Abu Dhabi
EDD Electronic Data Deliverable
EHSMS Environment, Health, and Safety Management System
EPH Extractable Petroleum Hydrocarbons
ET Environmental Theater
Fe Iron
FID Flame Ionization Detector
GC Gas Chromatography
GIS Geographic Information System
GPS Global Positioning System
HASP Health and Safety Plan
ICP-OES Inductively Coupled Plasma–Optical Emission Spectroscopy
IDB Industrial Developmental Bureau
kg Kilogram
MDL Method Detection Limit
m Meter
mg Milligram
Mn Manganese
MoCCAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment
MS Mass Spectrometry
MSDS Material Safety Data Sheet
NFA No Further Action
Ni Nickel
NJDEP New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
NZMfE New Zealand Ministry of Environment
OACIS On-site Assessment, Compliance and Inspection System
PAH Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon
Pb Lead
PCB Polychlorinated Biphenyls
PCDD Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins
PCDF Polychlorinated Dibenzofurans
PID Photoionization Detector
PSA Preliminary Site Assessment
QCC Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council
RDX Research Department Explosive or Royal Demolition Explosive
RiCHES Risk Characterization and Hazard Evaluation System
RSL Regional Screening Level
Sb Antimony
SL Screening Level
SOP Standard Operating Procedure
SVOC Semi-Volatile Organic Compound
TGD Technical Guidance Document
TNT Trinitrotoluene
TPH Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons
UAE United Arab Emirates
UCL Upper Confidence Limit
UN United Nations
UST Underground Storage Tank
VISL Vapor Intrusion Screening Level
VOC Volatile Organic Compound
Definitions of Terms
Agricultural land use: Growing crops for nursery, biomass, and horticultural use; raising livestock; aquaculture; and agro-
forestry. This does not include growing crops for human consumption but considers agricultural worker safety.
Clean-up levels: Concentration of a given contaminant for a specific use based on an increased risk of cancer of 1 in 10,000
and a hazard quotient of 10. Exceedances of the clean-up levels will trigger remediation or other risk management actions.
Commercial land use: Area of commercial activity including retail sales, commercial services, food services, petrol stations, car
wash, pet and animal sales and services, offices, office business parks, entertainment/leisure, and hotels/resorts.
Competent authority: The Environment Agency–Abu Dhabi (EAD) is the competent authority for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi
responsible for environmental affairs.
Conceptual site model (CSM): A representation of site-related information regarding contaminant sources, receptors, and
exposure pathways between the sources and receptors (EAD, 2016).
Contaminant source: The origin of contamination, such as leaking storage tank or a hazardous waste pile.
Contaminants of concern (COCs): Contaminants at the site with concentrations above applicable contaminant-specific
screening levels.
Exposure pathway: The full path a contaminant takes when migrating from its source to a receptor. Usually defined by the
primary medium (e.g., air, surface water, groundwater, soil) in which it occurs.
Hot spot sampling: Sampling technique to identify highest concentrations in a suspected contaminated area.
Hydraulic conductivity: The rate at which water can move through a permeable medium. Along with the hydraulic gradient,
determines the groundwater flow rate.
Hydraulic gradient: Represents the change in groundwater head (water level) over a given distance. Along with hydraulic
conductivity, determines the groundwater flow rate.
Industrial land use: Area of industrial use including manufacturing, warehousing or storage, shipping facilities, and light
industrial. Also included are areas of hazardous industrial use and extraction (above-ground mines/quarries and oil field
structures).
Judgmental sampling: Sample location guided by professional judgment. Judgmental sampling results cannot be used in a
random sampling strategy and cannot be statistically assessed. Their quality is subject to the skills and knowledge of the
professional guiding the sampling effort.
Land user: An individual, company, or group that owns or operates lands for any use.
Migration pathway: A potential path by which contaminants from a particular source of contamination move through the
environment. Usually part of an exposure pathway, which is conceptually defined as the full path from source to receptor, a
migration pathway can be a component of an exposure pathway, for example, the path a contaminant takes across a building
foundation.
Open space: Developed area dedicated to recreation or set aside as developed open space, including public gardens/parks,
plaza and fountains, play grounds, public beaches, sports clubs, race courses, golf courses, and tourist camps. Also includes
archeological sites. This class does not include undeveloped dedicated open space such as environmental or civic reserves.
Opportunistic sampling: As a form of judgmental sampling, opportunistic sampling uses professional judgment and
observations that arise during fieldwork to identify contaminated areas at a site, for example, sampling stained soils where a
leak has occurred. Because the samples are located by professional judgment, opportunistic sample results cannot be
combined with results from statistical sampling methods, cannot be statistically assessed, and are subject to the knowledge and
expertise of the professional locating the samples. However, because they take advantage of opportunities as they come along
by following up on leads arising during field work, opportunistic sampling can be a valuable component of an overall sampling
strategy.
Porosity: The volume of void space over the total volume of a medium, such as soil, sediment, or rock, expressed as a
percentage or as a fraction.
Primary source (or primary environmental media): Bodies of contaminated soil, defined by the area and depth of soil
contaminants with concentrations above the soil contamination screening levels.
Qualified Investigator: Leader of the PSA or DSA with the appropriate background, experience, and professional registration to
conduct the assessment. Works for the organization responsible for conducting the investigation.
Receptor: Humans, animals, and habitats or natural areas surrounding the contaminated soil site that are potentially affected by
soil contaminants.
Remediation measures: Measures taken to ensure that human health and the environment are protected from land
contamination.
Residential land use: Area of human habitation dwellings including single-unit and multi-unit residential, assisted living
facilities, and employment housing. Linear residential developments along the shoreline, neighboring islands, and transportation
routes extending outward from urban areas are included as residential.
Risk assessment: A process to estimate the nature and probability of adverse health effects resulting from exposure to
chemicals in contaminated environmental media now or in the future. There are two types of risk assessments: (1) human
health risk assessment, which is a process to estimate the nature and probability of adverse health effects in humans who may
be exposed to chemicals in contaminated environmental media now or in the future; and (2) ecological risk assessment, which
is a process for evaluating how likely it is that the environment may be affected as a result of exposure to one or more
environmental stressors such as chemicals.
Risk management: The process of assessing, mitigating, remediating, and or monitoring a contamination to minimize or
eliminate risk to human health or the environment.
Screening Levels: Concentration of a given contaminant for a specific use based on an increased cancer risk of 1 in 100,000
across the population and a hazard quotient of 1. Exceedances of the screening levels will trigger additional investigation, while
concentrations below screening levels may pose no further concern.
Secondary source (or secondary environmental media): Medium contaminated from a primary source or primary
environmental medium, for example, groundwater contaminated from leaching of contaminants from soil or soil contaminated
from volatilization of contaminant vapors from underlying contaminated groundwater into soil gas.
Soil contamination: The buildup in soils of persistent toxic compounds, chemicals, or disease-causing agents that have
adverse impacts on the environment or human health.
Soil gas: Gases that are present in and move through the air space between soil particles. Natural soil gases include nitrogen,
carbon dioxide, oxygen, methane, and radon. Soil gas provides a transport mechanism for volatile contaminant vapors.
Sorbent: A substance capable of adsorbing or absorbing liquids or gases.
Summa canister: A stainless steel container for sampling air for volatile organic compounds.
Tedlar bags: A plastic bag with a polyvinyl fluoride film suited for sampling air for common solvents, hydrocarbons, chlorinated
solvents, sulfur compounds, and atmospheric and biogenic gases. Not suitable for low vapor pressure compounds such as
naphthalene.
Vadose zone: The unsaturated zone above the water table where soil pores are filled with both air and groundwater.
Vapor intrusion: A process by which vapor-forming chemicals migrate from a subsurface source into an overlying building.
Section I. Introduction
The Environment Agency–Abu Dhabi (EAD) is the competent authority responsible for implementing federal and developing and
implementing Emirate-level environmental laws and regulations in the Abu Dhabi Emirate. In conjunction with the Soil
Contamination User Guide (henceforth referred to as the User Guide; EAD, 2016), this document is responsive to
Recommendations 1-2 (Enhance Guidance for Site-specific Environmental Assessment) and 1-3 (Enhance Guidance for Risk
Assessment) in EAD’s 2017 Soil Protection in Abu Dhabi: Regulatory Gap Analysis.
I.1 Purpose
The purpose of this Technical Guidance Document (TGD) is to establish a risk-based framework and process to identify and
document the presence or absence, nature, and extent of soil contamination at sites within Abu Dhabi Emirate. The framework
includes steps required for a preliminary site assessment (PSA) and, as needed, a detailed site assessment (DSA) to meet EAD
requirements. This framework builds on the information presented in EAD’s Soil Contamination User Guide (EAD, 2016).
Information is also provided on the appropriate level of detail and format required for reporting the findings of the PSA and DSA
to EAD.
In 2016, EAD developed the User Guide that provides information about conducting a PSA and a DSA and includes soil
contamination guideline values for screening levels (SLs) and cleanup levels (CLs) that the Abu Dhabi Quality & Conformity
Council (QCC) published in November 2017 as Abu Dhabi Specifications (ADS). This TGD provides step-by-step guidance and
report templates to implement the assessments discussed in that document. In addition to the User Guide and this TGD, EAD is
preparing a comprehensive soil protection regulatory package with the aim of assessing, protecting, and restoring the functions
of soil as a resource for agriculture, horticulture, building support, fill, and other uses across the Abu Dhabi Emirate.
I.2 Scope
This TGD outlines the overall process for assessing and addressing sites for soil contamination in Abu Dhabi Emirate, and
describes in detail the process for assessing and screening sites (e.g., conducting a PSA and, as needed, a DSA) where there
has been a hazardous substance contamination incident, soil contamination is suspected, or there is a regulatory requirement
for a PSA (See Figure 1, Steps 1-4). A separate guidance document will describe the risk management actions and monitoring,
verification, and reporting at sites where contamination poses significant risks to the environment and human health (see Figure
1, Steps 5 and 6).
The TGD is organized and structured to serve as a field guide for investigating and assessing soil contamination risks and
includes specific sections corresponding to steps in the assessment and checklists and forms attached to assist in the process.
Although focused on soils, note that the concepts, methods, and materials described in this document can be used in any site
assessment, including those for abandoned waste sites, where the proponent could be an owner/operator or EAD. Thus, this
document can serve users internal and external to EAD. Therefore, this TGD uses the term “investigator” to refer to any person
who uses this document to assess potentially contaminated soil on behalf of a proponent or potentially responsible party,
including the responsible parties themselves.
Section II. Legal Framework

EAD is the competent authority in the Abu Dhabi Emirate charged with protecting the environment as per Federal Law No. (24)
of 1999 and Abu Dhabi Law No. (16) of 2005. These laws and several other environmental laws and regulations (e.g.,
“regulatory instruments”) relevant to soil contamination assessment are summarized in Table 1.
Table 1. Summary of regulatory instruments related to soil contamination assessment

in the UAE
Instrument Title and Date of
Enactment Competent Authority Activities Covered
Federal Laws
Federal Law No. (24) of 1999 Concerning MoCCAE Federal Law No. (24) aims to protect and conserve
Protection and Development of the EAD within Abu Dhabi the quality and natural balance of the environment
Environment Emirate and protect society, human health and the health of
(https://www.ead.ae/Documents/PDF- other living creatures from environmentally harmful
Files/Federal-Law-No.-24-of-1999- activities. Under this law:
Eng.pdf),as amended  It is prohibited to undertake any activity
and Executive Bylaws to Federal Law No. contributing directly or indirectly to damaging or
24 of 1999): disturbing the natural properties or polluting the
 Council of Ministers Decree No. (37) soil in any way that may affect its productivity
of 2001 Concerning the Regulation on (Article 43).
Hazardous Substances and  It is prohibited to undertake any activity that
Hazardous Wastes damages the quantity or quality of flora in any
(http://www.elaws.gov.ae/EnLegislatio area, thus causing desertification or deformation
ns.aspx) of the natural environment, and it is prohibited to
cut, uproot, or cause damage to any tree, shrub,
or grass without authorization from the competent
authority (Article 44).
Decree No. (37) contains requirements for:
 Project Environmental Impact Assessment
 Handling of Hazardous Substances, Hazardous
Wastes, and Medical Wastes
 Protected Areas
 Protection of the Marine Environment
 Agricultural Pesticides and Fertilizers.
Federal Law No. (16) of 2005 Pertaining EAD This law establishes EAD as the entity concerned
to the Reorganization of the Environment with environmental affairs within the Emirate of Abu
Agency–Abu Dhabi Dhabi. EAD has broad authority to combat pollution,
(https://www.ead.ae/Documents/PDF- evaluate the impact of wastes, activities, and
Files/Law-No.-16-of-2005-Eng.pdf) pollutants on the environment and wildlife, and
protect soil quality.
(continued)
Table 1. Summary of regulatory instruments related to soil contamination assessment in the UAE
(continued)
Competent
Regulation Title and Date of Enactment Authority Activities Covered
Federal Laws (continued)
Abu Dhabi Law No. (21) of 2005 for Waste EAD Law 21 focuses on improving the management of
Management in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi waste. As the “Competent Authority,” EAD is
(http://extwprlegs1.fao.org/docs/pdf/uae681 responsible for:
72E.pdf) and Abu Dhabi Law No. 17 of  Licensing waste-related establishments and
2008 for Establishment of the Center for activities;
Waste Management
 Developing requirements for all procedures
(http://extwprlegs1.fao.org/docs/pdf/uae142
managing and handling waste including the review
265.pdf)
and approval of methods, mechanisms, and
technologies to handle, store, treat, and dispose of
waste;
 Permitting waste facilities and environmental service
providers that treat, store, dispose, and transport
waste.
Law 17, which establishes Tadweer, but retains EAD as
the “competent authority” and empowers it to develop
provisions to implement Law No. (21).
Federal Law No. (41) of 1992 MoCCAE (for Authorizes decisions regarding the importation, use,
(https://www.informea.org/en/legislation/fed pesticides) manufacturing, and sampling of pesticides
eral-law-no-41-1992-agricultural-
pesticides)
Ministerial Decrees No. (214) of 2004 MoCCAE and EAD  Establish specifications for fertilizers and soil
(https://www.informea.org/en/legislation/mi (for management) conditioners and provide sampling, reporting, and
nisterial-resolution-no-214-2004-amending- packaging requirements for specific chemical
ministerial-resolution-no-94-2003-issuing) fertilizers, organic fertilizers, soil conditioners, and
and No. (476) of 2007 artificial agricultural soil
(https://www.moccae.gov.ae/assets/downlo  Allow MoCCAE and EAD to collect samples to
ad/e4e8ae38/476.pdf.aspx) ensure compliance with the specifications set forth
in the regulation
 Implement a regional law requiring registration and
a license for importing, exporting, production,
manufacturing, or trading listed fertilizers and soil
conditioners
Ministerial Decision No. (30) of 2016 MoCCAE and EAD Updates the list of pesticides banned from the UAE or
(https://www.informea.org/en/legislation/mi (for prohibited and subject to restricted use; requires approval from the
nisterial-decree-no30-2016-amending- restricted use of Competent Authority and registration with the
ministerial-decree-no-771-2014-pesticides- pesticides in the MoCCAE before specified pesticides are imported
banned) UAE)
COP No. (2) of 2009 ADFCA (for the use Ensures that food grown on Abu Dhabi farms is safe to
(https://www.adfca.ae/English/PolicyAndLe of pesticides) eat; consistent with ADFCA’s Law No. (2), establishes
gislations/Guidelines/Pages/UsePesticides. a general framework for the use of pesticides by those
aspx) who handle or apply pesticides
COP No. (16) of 2011 ADFCA (for the Identifies types of farm waste and provides guidance
(https://www.adfca.ae/English/PolicyAndLe safe disposal of regarding the best practices to manage farm waste to
gislations/Guidelines/Pages/SafeDisposalA agricultural waste) protect the environment and promote sustainable
griWaste.aspx) agriculture
(continued)
Table 1. Summary of regulatory instruments related to soil contamination assessment in the UAE
(continued)
EAD Permitting and Assessment Activities
Auditing, monitoring, and modeling EAD These guidelines include
guidelines  TGD for Environmental Audit Reports
(https://www.ead.ae/arabic/Documents/Business%
20and%20Industry/Technical%20Guidance%20Do
cument%20for%20Environmental%20Audit%20Re
ports.pdf)
 TGD for Wastewater and Marine Water Quality
Monitoring.
(https://www.ead.ae/arabic/Documents/Business%
20and%20Industry/Technical%20Guidance%20Do
cument%20for%20Wastewater%20and%20Marine
%20Water%20Quality%20Monitoring.pdf)
Marine Dredging and Reclamation EAD Provide guidance on the evaluation and selection of
Guidelines and Permitting Requirements equipment and evaluation of disposal alternatives
in Abu Dhabi Emirate along with permitting requirements.
Soil Contamination Guidelines for Abu EAD Defines soil contamination and the actions to identify,
Dhabi Emirate: User Guide, November assess, and remediate that contamination. The soil
2016 guidelines include contamination SLs and CLs for
residential/open space, commercial/industrial, and
agricultural land use.
Abu Dhabi Emirate Habitat Classification EAD Provides guidance on which habitats in the Emirate
and Protection are classified as critical or environmentally sensitive,
Guideline. 2017. and the principles of protection and sustainable use
https://www.ead.ae/Publications/Abu%20 governing the permitting of projects that are proposed
Dhabi%20Emirate%20Habitat%20Classifi to have an adverse environmental impact on these
cation%20and%20Protection%20Guidelin habitats. Critical and sensitive habitats can be key
e/EAD%20-%20BOOK%20%20- receptors if soil contamination is found during the site
%20LANDMARK%20-%20ENGLISH- assessment process.
final.pdf
Abu Dhabi Environmental Specifications
Abu Dhabi Specification: Environmental QCC The Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (QCC)
Specifications for Soil Contamination, published numerical values for contaminant levels in
November 2017 (QCC) soil that are protective of human health. SLs and CLs
(https://qcc.abudhabi.ae/en/.../ADSSoilCo are provided for residential/open space,
ntaminationSpecifications.docx) industrial/commercial, and agricultural use. These
levels were originally provided in the User Guide
(EAD, 2016).
ADFCA = Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority; CL = cleanup level; EAD = Environment Agency–Abu Dhabi; MoCCAE = Ministry
of Climate Change and Environment; QCC = Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council; SL = screening level; COP = Code of
Practice; TGD = Technical Guidance Document; UAE = United Arab Emirates.
Section III. Soil Contamination Site Assessment Process

The process for assessing and addressing sites with potential or confirmed soil contaminants of concern (COCs) in Abu Dhabi is
presented in Figure 1 and Table 2.
Document Ref No
Contaminated Site Assessment and Management Process
Prepared by Approved by Owner
Revision Stat 01 Page/Total 1/1
Purpose Risk-based process to identify, assess, address, and document the presence or absence, nature and extent of contamination
Scope Process for sites within Abu Dhabi Emirate where soil contamination is suspected, expected, or known. Details
Responsible Step Process Flow Input Output
A. Observations,
incident, or
monitoring/
EAD Concerned Staff 1 A. Soil Contamination Suspected B. Regulatory Requirement analysis report; Request for PSA
B. Regulated
action
Existing site Contaminants of

information; concern (COC)s,
Site Investigator 2 Preliminary Site Assessment (PSA) sample
hotspot samples analyses, CSM
COCs likely present

COCs not
present Request for DSA
COCs, sample (with data gaps)
Site Investigator 3 Initial Risk Screening analyses, CSM or no further
action at this
time
COCs > SLs, Exposure
pathways may be present
COCs < SLs
COC sources & Source nature &
Detailed Site Assessment (DSA) concentrations, extent; media
Site Investigator 4 exposure concentrations,
and Risk Assessment Matrix
pathways, revised CSM
information gaps
COCs > CLs, Exposure COCs
Pathways Complete or < CLs, Exposure
Incomplete Pathways
incomplete
COCs, media, and
Risk Management exposure Risk management
pathways strategies and
Remediation Engineer 5 Remediation (Cleanup), Mitigation, exceeding CLs; actions;
Land Use Restrictions nature and extent monitoring plan
of contamination
Monitoring results
unacceptable
Exposure
pathways
incomplete or
site risks
acceptable Monitoring results
Site Investigator;
6 Monitoring Plan (with exceedances
EAD Concerned Staff Monitoring, Verification, Reporting noted)
Monitoring results acceptable

Recommendation
of no further No further
EAD Concerned Staff 7 No further action at this time action (based on action
monitoring
results).
REVISION HISTORY
No Revision Details Effectivity Date
00
01
02
Figure 1. Overall process map for addressing contaminated soil sites (highlighted steps indicate
focus of this TGD)
Table 2. Descriptions of steps in figure 1 to address contaminated sites

Step Description
1 Decide Assessment is Needed. Sites can enter the assessment process in one of two ways: 1) observations or
incidents (for example, stains or a report of a spill, or results reported by regular monitoring programs) that lead
EAD to suspect that soil contamination has occurred or 2) a regulatory requirement to confirm whether there are
contaminated soils at a site prior to development. The relevant EAD staff will decide whether a PSA is needed
and to direct and monitor the assessment effort.
2 PSA. Conducted by a qualified investigator, the PSA will involve a desktop review and site inspection to collect
and document available information about site conditions relevant to soil contamination and on-site and off-site
exposure to soil contaminants. Limited opportunistic samples may be taken in areas of obvious contamination.
Outputs of the PSA include a CSM, which contains a list of the COCs, potential or known exposure pathways, on-
site and off-site receptors, and a table of COC concentrations for samples taken at the site.
3 Initial Risk Screening. The initial risk screening compares any measured COC concentrations with EAD soil SLs
and CLs, evaluates potential exposure pathways, and identifies any data gaps or uncertainties that need to be
addressed in the DSA. The investigator may recommend no further action at the site if: 1) there are no COCs
present, 2) COCs are present below SLs, or 3) if there are COCs above SLs but no complete exposure
pathways. The relevant EAD staff must approve this recommendation under Step 7.
4 DSA and Risk Assessment Matrix. Conducted by a qualified investigator, the DSA builds on information from the
PSA to create three-dimensional picture of the nature and extent of contamination. The DSA includes 1)
additional sampling and analysis of soil and other contaminated media and 2) an update of the CSM to
incorporate analytical results and any new information collected about site conditions with a focus on determining
whether media concentrations are above CLs and identifying complete exposure pathways. This information on
COCs and exposure pathways is used to fill out a Risk Assessment Matrix for each soil contamination area
evaluated by the DSA. The Risk Assessment Matrix is used to bin the contaminant areas into low, moderate, and
high risk bins based on 1) COC concentrations in reference to SLs and CLs and 2) the exposure pathways for the
COCs.
5 Risk Management. [Not addressed in this document.] For sites with COCs above CLs and complete exposure
pathways, risk management action will be required. Based on the revised CSM and media COC concentrations
produced in the DSA, the investigator develops a risk management plan to address site risks by 1) physically
reducing or stopping exposure through complete pathways at the site (i.e., exposure control), 2) reducing COC
concentrations in soil and affected media (i.e., cleanup, remediation), and/or 3) implementing restrictions on land
use at the site. Risk management actions follow the risk management plan, which specifies the remedial
measures along with a plan for monitoring that the remedies are successful and exposures remain under control.
6 Monitoring, Verification, and Reporting. [Not addressed in this document.] Monitoring is conducted in accordance
with the monitoring plan to verify that remedial goals are reached and exposures remain under control during
remediation. Monitoring also can be conducted to verify that on-site and off-site risks remain below concern at
sites where contamination was determined to be less than screening levels or all exposure pathways were
determined to be incomplete during earlier steps of the PSA or DSA.
7 No Further Action at this Time. Approve recommendation for No Further Action (NFA): The NFA recommendation
should be approved by the relevant EAD staff responsible for preparing the recommendation, considering the
evidence provided in the site assessment documentation and remedial management and monitoring plans.
CL = Cleanup Level; COC = contaminant of concern; CSM = conceptual site model; DSA = detailed site assessment; EAD =
Environment Agency–Abu Dhabi; NFA = No Further Action; PSA = preliminary site assessment; SL = screening level.
When there is evidence of potential contamination, such as a spill or stained soils, or historical information suggesting
contamination, an EAD inspector or other person may notify EAD of potential soil contamination. This notification may also
trigger the requirement that a preliminary soil contamination assessment (referred to as a preliminary site assessment or PSA)
be conducted. A site assessment also may be required as part of a regulatory requirement (e.g., as part of the permitting
process).
Section IV. PSA Process

In the PSA, readily available information is collected through a combination of a desktop review, site visit(s), and interviews with
current and historical owners, workers, or others who may have information about past site conditions or activities that may have
contributed to site contamination. The desktop review assembles and evaluates existing literature and electronic materials about
the site. Site visits are conducted to confirm and supplement information collected through the desktop review and to identify
and opportunistically sample potential areas of contamination. Interviews are conducted to collect personal observations and
other information that may not be available through other sources.
Information from the PSA is used to create a CSM and inform the investigator about likely areas of soil contamination and
exposure pathways. The PSA also assembles information about current and historical process information, aerial and facility
maps, current and future land use for the site and surrounding area, contaminants and their locations, and the environmental
setting of the site (e.g., geology, topography, hydrology, hydrogeology) that are used in the DSA. In simpler words, a CSM is an
illustrative pictorial representation of the relationship between contaminant sources and receptors through consideration of
potential or actual migration and exposure pathways.
IV.1 Desktop Review

The following information may be available through a desktop review of maps, company information, public records, news
articles, case studies, and keyword searches. If existing information is not available for desktop review, it will be necessary to
obtain this information through site inspections and interviews with site personnel.
Site Identification and Ownership

 Address (street name and number) and current legal description (property description, including the lot number if site
is in an industrial zone) and alternative names for the site
 GPS coordinates of the site centroid
 Site and surrounding properties map showing the lot boundaries in relation to significant features (e.g., street
access, neighboring property boundaries, coastline)
 Current certificate of title, current owners, operators, or persons responsible for activities at the site.
Site Use and Physical Features (Current and Proposed)

 Zoning maps of current and possible future land uses (e.g., industrial, mixed-use commercial, educational, residential)
use(s) of the site and surrounding area. Because the soil guidelines only consider three land uses (residential,
industrial/commercial, and agricultural) other land use categories should be assigned the more similar of the three land
uses. For example, if the land use is for educational facilities, it is assigned to residential land use.
 Additional site and surrounding area maps, plans, or diagrams that show key physical features, including buildings,
structures (e.g., storage tanks, industrial process equipment), infrastructure, and surface cover (e.g., paved areas, dirt
roads, vegetation). Maps should include nearby areas where potential receptors may reside (e.g., coastline, residential
areas, nature reserve, agricultural area).
 Current aerial images that may show stockpiles and visible surface disturbance such as excavations, as well as other
information.
Site History
Records of historical and current site operations may contain information pertinent to the potential nature and extent of soil
contamination. Site history information collected should be documented in chronological order so that the site history can be
reconstructed in the PSA report. The investigator should note any dates when site ownership and related information are
unknown or uncertain. During this due diligence process, the following information should be obtained for each owner/operator
responsible for activities at the site back to the original deed of the property.
 Historical ownership information related to previous owners/operators and historical titles and deeds, including the
name of each historical owner, operator, or other person(s) responsible for the site
 Historical photographs and maps
 Past site and surrounding area practice records from all government and private sources, including historical land
use zoning, potentially contaminating activities onsite and at adjacent sites, prior compliance or enforcement actions,
(e.g., internal or external audit/inspection reports that identified noncompliance and requested an environmental action
plan), and historical or ongoing remedial (cleanup) actions.
Records of industrial operations that have been conducted at the site are especially important because they can help define
what soil contaminants may be present and where they were handled, stored, or disposed of onsite. Annex A lists typical
contaminants from various industries and land uses in Abu Dhabi and can be used to help determine what contaminants may be
present based on current and past industrial operations. Important industrial operation information that should be collected as
available during the desktop review includes the following.
 Process operations, including inputs (e.g., raw materials), intermediate products, final products, and emissions (e.g.,
fugitive or point source emissions, effluent discharges, waste generation including hazardous, non-hazardous)
 Chemical and hazardous materials handled and stored at the facility (by internationally accepted names [UN
chemical identifiers], trade names, common names, and hazard classes), and maps of storage and transfer areas
 On-site power generation including fuel storage and transformers
 Insulation materials containing asbestos
 Waste storage and disposal locations and size, including dumpsites, lagoons, settling ponds, sumps, soak wells,
and imported fill type (clean, derived from waste products, location of placement)
 Earthmoving activities with respect to the possibility that earthmoving activities may have resulted in redistribution
and burial of contamination
 Utility location, elevation, and size of infrastructure services, including sewers, stormwater drains, outfall pipes, and
underground utilities.
Environmental Setting
The desktop review should include information about features of the environment that may be relevant to help identify potential
human and ecological receptors, understand how contaminants may behave in the environment, and identify potential off-site
sources of contamination. The area to be assessed will exceed the site boundaries and should be determined based on the
likely distances that potential contaminants could migrate to or from the site. A search radius of 500 m from the boundary of the
site is suggested as a general guide (EAD, 2016). The following information should be collected:
 Geologic setting map—Regional and site-specific soil and geological records, including bedrock depth and its type
and structure
 Hydrogeologic setting map, including aquifer types, direction and flow rate, and potential preferential pathways and
barriers to groundwater flow
 Soil lithology information, as available from previous investigations or monitoring reports, records of soil type,
texture, structure, bulk density, porosity, organic matter content, cation exchange capacity, pH, redox potential, and
permeability
 Soil boring and monitoring well logs, including fill depth; strata; casing or construction details; and water level, water
quality, and pump/discharge rate
 Groundwater and surface water flow map—Topography and its significance to the direction of shallow groundwater
flow, surface water drainage, and inferred depth to groundwater
 Geophysical maps, including data on utility and storage tank locations
 Climate data (precipitation, temperature, wind speeds and direction).
IV.2 Site Inspection

The investigator should conduct a comprehensive site inspection to validate the information collected through the desktop
review and fill data gaps identified in the desktop review. The complexity of the site inspection will vary depending on the site
conditions and the level of information collected during the desktop study. The inspection should be conducted in the presence
of a person familiar with the site, such as the site manager or knowledgeable employee. In addition to confirming the validity and
completeness of the collected information, the investigator will look for potential areas of contamination, exposure pathways,
and on-site and off-site receptors to inform the CSM. Photographs should be taken to document relevant features of the site and
areas of potential contamination. The investigator should obtain and record the following during the site inspection:
Site Profile
 Site layout map
 Surrounding properties layout
 Building information
‒ Basic building construction (slab-on-grade, basement, crawlspace, other), presence or absence of basement slab,
foundation penetrations, and interior and exterior drainage structures, such as catch basins, sump pumps, and dry
wells)
‒ Presence or absence of bonded Asbestos-Containing Materials (bonded ACM) on the ground surface
‒ Identification and condition of materials storage and handling facilities and any solid or liquid waste disposal areas
 Raw material handling and storage
 Hazardous materials and chemicals
 Above and underground storage tanks (USTs) and containers
 Other possible sources of environmental concern or unexplained site features.
 Environmental setting information
‒ Presence and type of groundwater wells on the site, condition of groundwater well headworks, and measured
groundwater levels
‒ Anomalous topographic features, such as depressions, cut and fill areas, pits, ponds and lagoons, stockpiles.
 Potential for contaminant presence
‒ Signs of potential spills, leaks, and releases such as disturbed, colored, or stained soil; bare soil patches;
disturbed or distressed vegetation; unusual odor; sheens on surface water (if present); and any evidence of off-site
migration
‒ Presence and condition of chemical containers, holding tanks, bunds, and USTs, and associated infrastructure
‒ Constraints to site access for sampling.
 Potential exposure pathways and receptors.
The investigator should collect an inventory of chemicals and hazardous materials stored or used onsite and copies of the
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs), dangerous goods licenses, permitting information (e.g., Industrial Development Bureau
[IDB], EAD), operating licenses, work approvals and notices, and results of historical environmental inspections and audits.
If the investigator observes signs of potential contamination or if directed by EAD, they should conduct opportunistic sampling to
confirm the contamination. Sampling may occur at a spill, stain, or a greasy mark (Figure 2). Opportunistic samples are usually
surface soils, but may include other sampling types such as subsurface soil samples where observations suggest contamination
at deeper depths in the soil profile. Opportunistic samples should be collected with the same methodology and equipment used
in the DSA investigation (see Section VI.1.5). Depending on whether the proper sampling equipment is available when the
observation is made, the investigator may need to return to the site to collect these samples.
The names of the individuals who conducted the PSA site inspection, the date and time of the inspection, and all observations
must be recorded at the time of the inspection. The rationale for excluding items from the inspection and documentation process
and areas that were not accessible or not accessed should be documented in the PSA report (outlined in Section V).
Figure 2. Opportunistic samples can be collected during the PSA where observations
(spills, stains, leaks, discolorations) or other information suggest that contamination
may have occurred (Source: EAD, 2017a)
IV.3 Interviews
Where practicable and necessary, interviews should be conducted with persons with past connections and familiarity with the
site, including current and historical owners, workers, or others who may have information about past conditions or activities that
may have contributed to contamination at the site. The objective of the interviews is to confirm and build on information collected
in the desktop study, especially to fill in data gaps and obtain information on past and current activities that may not be available
elsewhere, such as unreported spills or other accidents, past waste disposal areas and practices, plant operational information
that may have caused or contributed to contamination, and other persons with such information. Interviews should be arranged
and conducted formally using standardized forms and checklists, ideally in electronic format using tablets and laptop computers.
IV.4 CSM
Information collected during the PSA is used to create an initial CSM that illustrates and documents the known and potential
exposure pathways between contaminant sources and the human and ecosystem receptors. The CSM organizes project
information and points of consensus about sources of uncertainty and data gaps; lays out the basis for site decisions about risk,
remediation, and reuse; and sets the basis for identifying decision units (e.g., the area or volume used to decide when to act).
Figure 3 lists the major data components of a CSM that need to be collected during the PSA; the text box titled “Key
Terminology: Conceptual Site Model for Contaminated Soil Sites” summarizes how these components are used to establish a
picture of contaminant sources, receptors, and exposure pathways at a site. A CSM will vary in complexity based on the
conditions of the contaminated site and the sources of contamination and can be presented in many forms, including a report,
map, diagram, computer model, or any other useful format that will help decision makers understand the situation. Table 3
summarizes exposure pathways at a contaminated soil site that may need to be addressed by the CSM. Note that the CSM
should consider both current conditions and the potential for new exposure pathways through a future change in land use at the
site (e.g., changing from industrial to commercial or residential).
Key Terminology: Conceptual Site Model for Contaminated Soil Sites
A conceptual site model (CSM) is a representation of site-related information regarding contaminant sources,
receptors, and exposure pathways between the sources and receptors (EAD, 2016).
Contaminant sources, in this case, are bodies of contaminated soil, defined by the area and depth of soil
contaminants with concentrations above the Soil Contamination Screening Levels (SLs). Contaminants with
concentrations above the SLs are the contaminants of concern (COCs) at the site. Soil can be contaminated by a
spill, a leak, airborne deposition onto a soil body, migration of contaminated groundwater into saturated zone soils
or near the capillary fringe, or volatilization of contaminants from underlying contaminated groundwater into soil
gas.
A receptor is someone or something (e.g., human, flora, fauna, place, natural resources) that could be adversely
affected if exposed to contamination from a release and migration from the contaminant source (ATSDR, 2009;
EAD, 2016; EUGRIS, 2017). Here, receptors are defined as humans, animals, and habitats or natural areas
surrounding the contaminated soil site that are close enough to be potentially affected by the soil contaminants.
The CSM indicates the locations of these receptors with respect to the exposure pathways identified at the site.
An exposure pathway is the path a contaminant takes when migrating from its source to a receptor and is usually
defined by the medium (e.g., air, surface water, groundwater, soil) in which it occurs. An exposure pathway has
five parts:
1. Source of contamination, in this case a contaminated soil body at a site

2. Environmental fate and transport medium and mechanisms, such as infiltration through soil, soil gas
migration, or groundwater migration
3. Point of exposure, such as surface soils, a basement, or a groundwater well
4. Exposure route into the body (ingestion, inhalation, or dermal skin contact)
5. Location of the receptor population (where potential or actual exposure occurs).
When all five parts are present, the exposure pathway is termed a complete exposure pathway that could pose a
risk to a receptor (EAD, 2016; ATSDR, 2009). If one part can be removed or interrupted, the pathway is
incomplete and does not pose a risk to the receptor.
Available background information on

buildings and surrounding areas
Information on current, past, and

potential future activities at the site
Known and potential sources of

contamination and contaminants of
Major components of concern
a conceptual site
model (CSM) Potentially affected media (soil,
sediment, groundwater, surface water,
and indoor and ambient air)
Human and ecological receptors
Potential and complete exposure

pathways
Figure 3. Schematic of the major components in a conceptual site model
The CSM is an iterative product and should be updated throughout the assessment process, depending on when new or higher
quality information is obtained. Figure 4 (in Section V5.1.) provides an example of how to document information for the CSM of a
contaminated soil site.
Table 3. Typical exposure pathways at a contaminated soil site

Exposure
Pathway Description Receptors Mitigation Examples
Oral ingestion Incidental ingestion  Active remediation: Remove/treat soil
through hand to mouth  Engineering control: Cover soil to prevent
contact; intentional On-site workers or contact (e.g., pavement); remove
ingestion (pica child) residents receptors from area (e.g., fencing)
Dermal contact Incidental contact of soil  Land use restrictions: Zoning changes
with skin (e.g., industrial)
Inhalation Inhalation of VOCs or On-site or off-site  Active remediation: Remove/treat soil
windblown dust particles, workers or residents  Engineering control: Dust control
near source and measures; fencing off area
downwind
 Land use restrictions: Zoning changes
(e.g., industrial)
Plant uptake Uptake of metals by Humans eating produce  Active remediation: Remove/treat soil
plants in farm/garden produced; plants subject  Engineering control: Prevent gardening
to contaminant toxicity (e.g., pavement)
(e.g., industrial)
(continued)
Table 3. Typical exposure pathways at a contaminated soil site (continued)

Exposure
Pathway Description Receptors Mitigation Examples
Soil to Organic or metal Humans drinking  Active remediation: Remove/treat soil and
groundwater contaminants leach from groundwater or groundwater
soil to contaminate ecosystems where  Engineering control: Prevent rain
underlying groundwater groundwater discharges infiltration and leaching (e.g., pavement,
cover, or cap)
(e.g., industrial)
Vapor intrusion VOCs from contaminated On-site or off-site  Active remediation: Remove/treat soil and
groundwater or soil residents or workers in groundwater
volatilize and diffuse buildings over VOC-  Engineering control: Create negative
through soil and into contaminated soil or pressure beneath foundation to prevent
overlying buildings groundwater plume VOC entry
(e.g., industrial)
IV.5 Initial Risk Screening

Contaminant concentrations collected during the PSA should be compared against the EAD SLs as a conservative initial
indication of risk (see Appendix A of EAD [2016]). Concentrations above the SLs will usually require a DSA to verify the nature
and extent of contamination, complete exposure pathways, and exposure concentrations at on-site and off-site receptors. The
text box “Preliminary Site Assessment (PSA)—Reporting and Next Steps” describes the PSA decision-making process to
determine whether EAD will require a DSA or no further action is necessary.
Preliminary Site Assessment (PSA)—Reporting and Next Steps
The investigator should prepare a PSA report for submission to EAD. The reporting requirements for a PSA are
presented in Section VI of this Technical Guidance Document (TGD). EAD will review the report and notify the
investigator whether “no further action” or a detailed site assessment (DSA) is required. The criteria for No Further
Action or Further Action are as follows:
 No Further Action: If contaminants are not present, contaminants are present but below Screening Levels
(SLs), or contaminants are above SLs but there are no exposure pathways to current or future populations,
then there is no need for further action beyond monitoring that the situation will not change. EAD will notify the
investigator of any monitoring requirements.
Note that if contaminants are present, a PSA alone is often insufficient in determining whether they are above
Screening Levels because quantitative data are limited to opportunistic sampling and there is enough
uncertainty about whether a release to the environment that poses unacceptable risks to surrounding
receptors has occurred to call for additional investigation.
 Further Action: If contaminants are known to be present, there appear to be potential current or future
exposure pathways, and there are insufficient data to determine with confidence that Screening Levels have
not been exceeded based on sampling that does not horizontally or vertically delineate the extent of
contamination within the property boundary, EAD may require further action to protect human health. At a
minimum, EAD will require a DSA to further evaluate whether a release occurred and to identify the nature
and extent of contamination, including the contaminant source, exposure pathways, and exposure point
(receptor) concentrations.
Section V. PSA Report

This section presents the template (Table 4) and provides guidance on the information needed to complete the PSA report. The
information presented here is guidance only. The level of detail and complexity of the PSA report are highly dependent on the
availability of relevant site-specific information and degree of contamination.
The PSA and PSA report should be conducted and prepared by a qualified investigator approved and registered by EAD. A
current list of registered consultants can be obtained from EAD Customer Service or the EAD Web site.
Table 4. Standard table of contents for the PSA report

Table of Contents
List of Tables
List of Figures
Chapter 1 Executive Summary 1.1 Site Description and Statement of Requirement
1.2 Summary of Findings
Chapter 2 Introduction 2.1 Site Location
2.2 Proponent Information
2.3 PSA Investigators
2.4 Statement of Requirement
Chapter 3 Legal Framework
Chapter 4 Site Investigation 4.1 Desktop Review and Site Inspection
4.2 Interviews
4.3 Opportunistic Sampling
Chapter 5 Initial Risk Screening 5.1 Summary of Findings and Assessment of Risks
5.2 Data Gaps and Uncertainties
5.3 Discussion and Conclusions
Annexes
Annex 1 References
Annex 2 Supporting Information on the Current Condition (e.g., detailed methodology, maps, diagrams, and results)
Annex 3 Material Safety Data Sheets (if applicable)
Annex 4 Records Review Log
Annex 5 Interview Log
Annex 6 Analytical Results (Laboratory Reports)
EAD officials will review the submitted PSA report to verify that all chapters are complete and that the report meets the
stipulated requirements. The time frame for EAD review will be approximately one month. After EAD officials have reviewed and
approved the PSA report, a DSA may be requested.
The remainder of this section lists the report chapters and sections and describes the content that should be included in each.
This section should include a list of abbreviations and acronyms used in the PSA report. This list should be presented in a
tabular format using a format similar to that on page 6 of this TGD.
This section should include a list of key terms used in the PSA report and their definitions, which should be consistent with this
TGD. This information should be presented in a format similar to that used in this TGD.
List of Tables
This section should include a list of all the tables presented within the main body of the PSA report and should indicate table
numbers, table titles, and associated page numbers.
List of Figures
This section should include a list of all the figures presented within the main body of the PSA report and should indicate figure
numbers, figure titles, and associated page numbers.
V.1 Chapter 1—Executive Summary

Chapter 1 of the PSA report should be a non-technical summary of the site. It should describe the site, indicate why the PSA
was conducted, and summarize the findings of the assessment.
V.1.1 Site Description and Statement of Requirements

This subsection should contain a short description of the site location and characteristics and the reason for conducting the
PSA. This description should provide enough information for reviewers to understand the importance and scope of the
investigation.
V.1.2 Summary of Findings

This subsection should describe the identified and potential soil contamination, as well as the potential receptors and exposure
pathways. The following information and findings should be summarized:
 Potential areas of contamination, noted exceedances, potential exposure pathways and risks
 On-site environmental concerns, including contaminant sources, exposure pathways from the sources, and any
exceedances of contaminant SLs
 Off-site environmental concerns, including exposure pathways from on-site sources and any off-site receptors of
concern
 An area of concern (AOC) map highlighting potential or actual areas of contamination, with potential exposure
pathways and risks denoted
 Data gaps, uncertainties, and limitations
 Areas in need of further examination during a DSA, if requested
 Recommendations for next steps.
V.2 Chapter 2—Introduction

Chapter 2 should include information, data, and details relevant to the site and assessment, organized according to the
subsections discussed below.
V.2.1 Site Location

This section should include a description of the site, including the type of site (e.g., chemical manufacturing company, a hospital,
a water park, an electric generator), the physical location (address, coordinates), and size of the area.
V.2.2 Proponent Information

This section should include the name, address, telephone number, and fax number of the proponent’s firm; the name and
designation of the contact person who is responsible for the site management; and a listing and brief description of nearby
activities and facilities in the area.
V.2.3 PSA Investigators

This section should include the name, address, telephone number, and fax number of the investigator’s firm; the names of team
members from the consulting firm who prepared the PSA report (and e-mail address for the key contact); and the field(s) of
expertise of the consulting firm and the individual team members.
V.2.4 Statement of Requirement

This section should describe reason(s) for conducting the site contamination assessment and the schedule and steps taken to
fulfill the requirement. The following information should be included in this section:
 A list of the sequence of events, tasks, and dates associated with preparing the PSA report
 A list and description of the main findings of the PSA
 A summary of any requirements (e.g., conduct a DSA) resulting from the PSA findings.
V.3 Chapter 3—Legal Framework

Chapter 3 should explain the legislative basis for the proposed project outlined in the PSA report and should outline the following
information:
 All relevant and applicable Emirate and local laws, regulations, and TGDs
 The source document(s) of standard pollutant limits. This source document should be the most current, published EAD
and federal standards document and address all pollutants and contaminants that will be produced during the activities
and phases of the proposed project.
If EAD or federal standards are not available, then the best available source of standard limits, with a justification for the
selection of these limits, should be detailed; multiple documents may be necessary.
V.4 Chapter 4—Site Investigation

Chapter 4 should include a detailed description of the site with clear explanations of the scope, inventory, and activities formerly
and currently associated with the site. This section is intended to provide a detailed description about any processes, emissions
and wastes generated, handled, stored and/or disposed of, and activities that may potentially contaminate surface soil or the
subsurface environment. This chapter should include the subsections discussed below.
V.4.1 Desktop Review and Site Inspection

This section should describe the methodology and findings of the desktop review and activities conducted during the site
inspection(s). The investigator should make every attempt to collect all relevant information about past and present potentially
contaminated activities, contamination, concerns about contamination, or human health issues. A detailed list of information that
should be collected is included in the PSA Data Gathering Checklist in Annex B.
After describing the desktop review, the report should describe the comprehensive site inspection(s) performed and why they
were conducted (e.g., to validate the information collected to date and to fill any data gaps identified in the desktop study or
previous inspections). The inspection report should describe potential areas of contamination, exposure pathways, on-site and
off-site receptors, and the latest CSM. Photographs taken to document relevant site features and areas of potential
contamination should be included.
The report should include the names of the individuals who conducted the desktop review and site inspection(s), the date and
time of the inspection(s), and all observations recorded at the time of the inspection. When more than one inspection are
conducted, the activities conducted should be described in sequential order by date. Additionally, the rationale for excluding
items from the inspection and documentation process and areas that were not accessible or not accessed during the site
inspection(s) should also be documented, along with the site personnel who assisted with the inspection process.
Details from the desktop study and site inspection reported in this section should include (but are not limited to) the information
listed in Sections IV.1.1 and IV.1.2 in these general categories:
General Documentation
 Date(s) and time(s) of the inspection
 Desktop references identified and reviewed
 The names of the individuals who conducted the site inspection and were present for the site assessment (e.g., on-site
staff or site manager)
 Photographs and descriptions of relevant features of the site including areas of potential contamination.
Facility Characteristics (current and historical)

 Land uses and physical features (e.g., site activities, habitats, flora, fauna)
 Permitting information (e.g., IDB, EAD), operating licenses, work approvals and notices, dangerous goods licenses
 Inventory of chemicals and potentially hazardous materials stored or used onsite, including the MSDS
 Description and quantities of solid and liquid hazardous wastes generated, received, or disposed of at the site
 Documentation and results of environmental inspections and audits, including inspecting authority
 Areas excluded from inspection process because of inaccessibility or other reasons (documenting reasons).
Pollutant Information (list and describe, current and historical)

 Documented air emissions (vapors, gases, particulate), water effluent, waste disposal, and associated contaminants
 Records of accidental spills and releases, including size, materials, and response/cleanup measures
 Polluting or environmentally damaging equipment and machinery operated at or near the site (e.g., vehicles, process
equipment, pollution control, or cleanup technology)
 Quantitative (e.g., area, depth, contaminant concentrations) and qualitative descriptions of potentially contaminated
areas.
The investigator should provide a log of information collected as documentation of the completeness and reliability of the site
assessment. This log should be maintained and updated as new information is collected and should be included in the PSA
report annexes.
V.4.2 Interviews
Interviews with site representatives, former workers or residents, and others familiar with the site’s history are conducted to
validate/support the findings from the desktop review and inspections and collect additional information about the site.
Interviews should be documented, including the type of site representative interviewed (e.g., current and former owners,
managers, employees, neighbors), why the interview was conducted (e.g., confirm previous findings, collect new information,
follow up, fill data gaps), and a summary of pertinent results. An interview log should be attached as an appendix and include
the following information:
 Date(s) and time(s) of the interview
 The names of the individuals interviewed and their role/involvement with the site
 Significant outcomes of the interview (e.g., discussion of a spill, polluting activity or previous dumping at the site and
any known related information, or the names of other individuals with additional information).
V.4.3 Opportunistic Sampling

During the PSA, surficial soil samples may be collected opportunistically in and around suspected areas of contamination. If the
investigator sees signs of potential contamination or if directed by EAD, opportunistic sampling can be conducted to confirm the
type of contamination, its original source, and reasonable maximum concentrations, as possible. This section of the PSA report
should describe where and why the opportunistic samples were collected, for example, at a stain or a greasy mark, or where
other evidence suggests a leak may have occurred. The investigator should make all attempts to sample the suspected areas of
contamination. If the suspected area of contamination is not readily accessible, or may require tools for sampling greater depths,
the investigator may need to move into the DSA process and return to the site to collect these samples with additional
equipment and procedures.
This section also should provide the sampling methodology (e.g., number and location of samples, why they were taken, date
and time of sample collection, sampling techniques, and parameters analyzed) and sampling results. If EAD Standard Operating
Protocols (SOPs) for sampling methodology are not available, U.S. EPA SOPs for the relevant media should be used (See U.S.
EPA, 2013, 2014a, 2014b). EAD (2016) also provides information about sampling techniques and methods.
The the analytical laboratory results reports should be included in a PSA Report Annex. Sampling results for those parameters
that were analyzed, should be also submitted to the EAD soil database and EAD’s Environmental Theatre (ET) via electronic
data deliverables (EDDs) for which EAD provides the appropriate templates. The ET also houses EAD’s monitoring data, so that
these site specific analytical results and any subsequent site monitoring results can be benchmarked against baseline data in
the soil database component of the ET or compared with data from other sites in Abu Dhabi.
V.5 Chapter 5—Initial Risk Screening
V.5.1 Summary of Findings and Assessment of Risks

This section should include the initial CSM, in the form of a template or flowchart and supporting information, which relates the
findings regarding potential contamination to receptors and exposure pathways. This section will also document any data gaps
and uncertainties identified during the PSA process. The investigator should provide sufficient detail about each of the
components in the CSM to clearly identify source-pathway-receptor linkages and any resulting risks. The level of detail required
includes the following:
 The contaminants: The minimum requirement for the PSA is a list of the contaminants that are present or suspected
to be present at the site, as identified through the inventory, interviews, and opportunistic sampling (see Annex A for a
listing of common contaminants and contaminant types from various industries, activities, and land use). If sampling
was conducted during the PSA, compare the analytical results to the contaminant SLs presented in Appendix A of the
User Guide (EAD, 2016; QCC, 2017).
 Physical characteristics of the natural environment: General characteristics of the environment (e.g., soils,
aquifers, surface water, land cover) as appropriate and available, with protective (conservative) estimates assumed
when information is not available.
 Physical characteristics of the built environment and site: Size, location, and structural materials of current and (if
known) future buildings; potential presence of preferential vapor pathways; nature, size, and location of outdoor
spaces.
 Characteristics of the exposed populations: All potentially exposed receptors, including current and anticipated
people residing or working at the site or in nearby/downwind/receiving environments as well as flora and fauna that
could be exposed and harmed by the contaminants. The distance to receptors from the contaminated soil body should
be protectively or conservatively estimated unless detailed information on surrounding receptor locations, current and
future, is available.
 Exposure pathways: Pathways by which the receptors can be exposed to the soil contaminants. Figure 5 presents an
example of a CSM diagram showing possible source-pathway-receptor linkages for soil contaminants along with an
indication of potentially complete exposure pathways.
The information collected up to this point in the PSA process, and specifically the information in the CSM, will drive the initial risk
screening. Any data gaps should be clearly noted so any DSA will collect missing data. A discussion of the following information
should be included in this section along with these components:
 An AOC map or diagram highlighting potential or actual areas of contamination, with potential exposure pathways and
risks denoted as available. Figure 4 presents an example AOC diagram showing a facility with several areas denoted
where soil contamination may be present.
Figure 4. Example AOC diagram showing contamination areas and important on-site structures
 A CSM diagram and description including

‒ Available background information on buildings and surrounding areas
‒ Information on current, past, and potential future activities at the site
‒ Known and potential sources of contamination and COCs
‒ Potentially affected media (soil, sediment, groundwater, surface water, and indoor and outdoor air)
‒ Human and ecological receptors
‒ Potential and complete exposure pathways.
 A risk screening table comparing available contaminant concentration data with relevant soil SLs and CLs, with
exceedances denoted.
 A summary of uncertainties and limitations in the initial CSM development and risk screening.
Figure 5 is an example of a refined CSM for a preliminary site assessment that shows the complete and partial pathways
for each source-receptor receptor linkage.
Potential Human Receptors

Primary Potential Potential Release Final Exposure
Sources Release Secondary and Transport Pathways Area Site
Route
Mechanisms Sources Mechanisms Residents Workers
Ingestion — —
Volatilization,
wind-blown Wind Outdoor air Inhalation
dust
Dermal — —
Chemical
handling Ingestion
and storage
Soil Leaching Groundwater Inhalation
Dermal
Spills
Ingestion — —
Surface water Volatilization Outdoor air Inhalation
Dermal — —
Ingestion
Erosion, Water
Surface water Inhalation — —
run-off transport
Dermal
Contaminated
soil
Ingestion — —
Leaching Groundwater Volatilization Indoor air Inhalation
Dermal — —
Legend
Complete Pathway
Incomplete Pathway
Potentially Complete Pathway (future land use)
Figure 5. Example of a refined CSM for a PSA that shows the complete and partial pathways for
each source-receptor linkage
V.5.2 Data Gaps and Uncertainties

The investigator should assess and identify any data quality issues and data gaps in these components, including (EAD, 2016)
 How representative the available data are likely to be
 The potential sources of variability and uncertainty
 What data are missing and how important these gaps are to the objectives and reliability of the site assessment.
V.5.3 Discussion and Conclusions

This section should summarize the key findings from the PSA that relate to the following:
 On-site environmental concerns, including contaminant sources, exposure pathways from the sources, and any
exceedances of contaminant SLs and CLs
 Off-site environmental concerns from the site, including exposure pathways from on-site sources, off-site receptors of
concern, and any exceedances of contaminant SLs and CLs
 Uncertainties and limitations
 Areas in need of further examination during the DSA.
PSA Report Annexes

Annexes should include all information not immediately relevant to the main text of the PSA report. Annexes should include the
following:
 Annex 1—References. This annex should include all references used to develop the PSA report.
 Annex 2— Supporting Information on the Current Condition. This annex should include relevant and detailed
descriptions of the methodology, data, and results of the assessments used to establish the current condition of the
soil.
 Annex 3—Material Safety Data Sheets (if applicable). This annex should include all MSDSs associated with any
hazardous materials identified in Section 4.3.
 Annex 4—Records Review Log. This annex is a log of the records and documents reviewed in the desktop study to
extract pertinent PSA information.
 Annex 5—Interview Log. This annex logs the interviews, including questions and answers.
 Annex 6—Analytical Results. Laboratory reports of analytical results for soil and other environmental media.
Annexes can be reordered and additional annexes can be added as needed.
Section VI. DSA Process

If one or more contaminants are known to be present and are shown to be above SLs (or delineation is incomplete) and
potential exposure pathways are confirmed, then EAD will require the investigator to conduct a DSA. A DSA involves a
structured characterization of the nature and extent of contamination in soil and other media affecting human and ecological
receptors, along with additional details about receptors and exposure pathways and a more site-specific indication of risk. In
contrast to the PSA focus on identifying the presence or absence of contamination, the DSA focuses on defining the extent of
contamination, exposure pathways, and exposure concentrations for assessing risks to on-site and off-site receptors.
The DSA process includes

 Comprehensive site investigation—The DSA begins with a sampling and site investigation plan that describe the
field and laboratory work needed to determine the nature and extent of contamination for contaminants determined to
be above (or potentially above) SLs in the PSA. This plan describes how to characterize the vertical and horizontal
nature and extent of soil contaminants in the source, as well as concentrations in media affected by contaminants
migrating from the source.
 Risk Assessment Matrix—The risk assessment component of the DSA includes a risk matrix that:
1. Compares media concentrations with risk-based screening and CLs to determine the severity of the risk
2. Evaluates possible exposure pathways as complete or incomplete to determine the likelihood of risk.
If a site is classified as high risk (there is a complete or uncertain exposure pathway, and at least one contaminant concentration
is above CLs), in addition to a required risk management plan, a detailed risk assessment may be requested.
VI.1 Sampling Plan

Perhaps the most critical element of the DSA is the sampling plan, which is developed using the CSM and site information
collected during the PSA. The sampling plan defines the sampling and analysis necessary to assess the horizontal (surficial)
and vertical (depth) extent of soil contamination at each source, along with contamination in other media along the exposure
pathways of concern at the site. The plan should provide key information on sample locations, sample collection methodologies,
analytical methods, and how samples will be analyzed, including quality assurance and quality control considerations.
VI.1.1 General Information

The main components of a soil sampling plan consist of determining the sampling pattern, sampling point density, and sampling
depth. Critical information from the PSA CSM for developing the sampling plan includes:
 GIS maps, aerial/satellite photos, and diagrams of the site showing contaminant source areas, on-site and off-site
receptors, topography, hydrology, and infrastructure that may influence sampling activities
 GPS locations of critical features, including opportunistic sampling points from the PSA
 Tables of contaminant levels within each source area
 General site geology (soils and rocks) and regional or (as available) local groundwater conditions (flow direction, depth
to water, salinity)
 Grid reference from EAD soil survey, to allow access to pertinent information from the soil survey as needed.
See Annex B, Table B-2 for other considerations. Additional information can be found in the PSA description in Section IV of
this document and in EAD’s Soil Contamination User Guide (EAD, 2016).
VI.1.2 Sample Locations: Pattern and Density

Table 5 summarizes commonly used surface soil sampling strategies adapted from EAD (2016), New Zealand (2011), and U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) (1995, 2002) and describes their applicability and limitations. The information in
Table 5 will be helpful in choosing a soil sampling pattern and describes the rationale and applicability, as well as limitations
associated with each pattern. In some cases, it may be necessary to subdivide the site into two or more separate areas due to
site size, accessibility, permitting, surface or subsurface conditions, or other constraints that may allow sampling in one area but
not the other. In such cases, it may be useful to select a separate suitable sampling pattern for each of those subdivided areas.
Section 3.3.2.2 of the User Guide (EAD, 2016) includes additional details on field techniques for ranking areas to be sampled
and guiding sampling efforts (e.g., headspace analysis with field instruments), as well as strategies for sampling soil stockpiles,
clean fill, and contaminated soil stockpiled for off-site disposal.
Table 5. Examples of soil sampling patterns and approaches
Sampling Approach Applicability and Limitations Image
Judgmental/Opportunistic  The judgmental sampling approach is often used

This sampling approach uses at sites with detailed information about physical
characteristics, potential contaminants, potential
subjective “expert” selection of
sources, and contaminant location. Using this
sampling locations to identify approach allows detailed information to be
the areas thought to be most obtained from some sub-areas but limited or no
likely to have the highest information from other sub-areas. Opportunistic
concentrations of sampling can be useful when a visual inspection
contaminants. As a form of or interviews in the field indicate that
judgmental sampling, contamination is likely in specific areas; however,
like any judgmental sampling it cannot be used
opportunistic sampling takes
with statistical sampling designs.
advantage of opportunities to
identify sampling locations
that arise during fieldwork, like
observations of stained soils.
Systematic grid A systematic grid sampling approach can be used at

This sampling approach sites
involves subdividing the AOC  Where limited or no information is available about
through square or triangle potential contamination sources
gridding. This approach is  When the extent of contamination and
often used to identify contaminant concentration gradients needs to be
contamination hot spots. delineated
 In combination with other sampling patterns (e.g.,
random, judgmental)
 When visual clues or prior site information does
not indicate to focus on one area versus another.
Stratified A stratified sampling approach can be used at sites

This sampling approach  Where detailed information is available about the
allows the AOC to be divided site in terms of physical characteristics, potential
into strata that are known or contaminants, and potential sources of
thought to be relatively contamination
homogenous. This approach  When the sampling sub-areas provide varying
levels of information about potential
also allows for greater
contamination sources.
precision in estimates of the
mean and variance.
Simple random A simple random sampling approach can be used at

This sampling approach sites that are relatively uniform, with minimal
involves an arbitrary collection variation. It also can be used in other random
of samples that results in all sampling designs.
locations within an AOC
having an equal chance of
being selected.
Table 5. Examples of soil sampling patterns and approaches (continued)
Sampling Approach Applicability and Limitations Image
Stratified random A stratified random sampling approach can be used

This sampling approach at sites:
allows for some control over  With detailed historical information and prior
the sampling scheme based analytical results (or screening data) to
on prior knowledge but still confidently divide the site into smaller areas
allows for random sampling (referred to as strata)
within each stratum.  When the strata have different characteristics,
including sampling depth, contaminant source
areas, and contaminant concentration levels.
Note: This table was developed based on information from EAD (2016), U.S. EPA (1995 and 2002), and New Zealand Ministry
for the Environment (NZMfE) (2011).
AOC =area of concern.
In addition to selecting a suitable sampling pattern, the investigator needs to determine the sampling density. Annex C, Table
C-1 includes an example for determining the minimum sampling points based on detection of circular hot spots using a square
sampling grid (based on EAD [2016] and NZMfE [2011]). Calculations for a different or additional sampling densities can be
accessed in Appendix B of NZMfE, (2011).
Sampling Patterns and Densities for Soil and Clean Fill Stockpile Sampling
When sampling stockpiled soil to be disposed of in landfills and clean fill stockpiled for re-use, the surface sampling patterns and
densities as described above cannot be used but are rather determined by the stockpile volume. Table C-2 in Annex C includes
an example of the required numbers of samples for various stockpile volumes and a constant sample density (25 samples per
cubic meter). In general, stockpiles should be divided into sections of approximately equal volume for sampling. If a stockpile is
not homogenous and contains sections with different material, or if certain sections of a stockpile are known to have a greater
contamination risk, sampling distribution should be adjusted to accommodate these heterogeneities. If the degree of
homogeneity or contamination risk is unknown, a uniform sample point distribution is appropriate.
VI.1.3 Sample Depth

The Abu Dhabi Specification: Environmental Specifications for Soil Contamination (QCC, 2017) states that soil samples shall be
collected from more than one depth at each sampling location. Where contamination is identified, the maximum depth (where
practicable) to which that contamination extends should be determined. This section provides considerations for sampling soils
at depth, including how to use observations and measurements of the soil profile to determine the best soil sampling depths in
the field, and, if contamination so extends, sampling beneath the water table.
The following factors influence the likelihood of soil contamination with greater depth (New Jersey Department of Environmental
Protection [NJ DEP], 2015):
 Characteristics and properties of suspected COCs (e.g., solubility, sorption behavior, volatility)
 Evidence of down-hole contamination with depth from
o field screening measurements (e.g., photoionization detector [PID] measurements of VOC vapors)
o observations of stains, color, or odors (as encountered, but do not sniff samples)
 Changes in soil lithology (e.g., sand to clay)
 Changes in soil moisture content.
The natural variability of these factors means that sampling depth will vary across the sampling points. Samples should be
collected for surface soil (usually defined as the top 15 centimeters [cm] of soil) and then extended to depth in the soil
depending on the analytes being investigated and observations and testing during the sampling effort. When deep soil
contamination is expected, initial sampling depths may range considerably (from 15 cm to 6 m (NJ DEP 2015; U.S. EPA, 2002),
depending on project needs. Figure 6 illustrates how observations of changes in color or lithology can provide information
relevant to contaminant distribution with depth. In general, soil sampling at depth should be continued until a clean vertical
interval or water table is encountered.
Figure 6. Observations of changes in soil color, lithology, and moisture content can provide
information relevant to contamination at depth in the soil profile (Source: EAD, 2017a)
For subsurface soil sampling in general, EAD recommends the following default sampling depths to allow future soil data to be
compatible with current EAD soil database:
 0 to 25 cm;
 25 to 50 cm;
 50 to 100 cm;
 100 to 150 cm;
The 150 cm depth can be extended if deeper contamination is suspected (as mentioned above). In general, larger soil sampling
depth intervals (e.g., 0-50cm, 0-100 cm) are of limited value for characterizing contaminant distribution with depth unless an
average concentration is needed for that depth range.
Sample depth and area should both be considered when determining the appropriate sample volume (U.S. EPA, 2002). The
investigator should work with the analytical laboratory to determine the appropriate volumes for the analytes being measured
and identify the type of container that should be used when collecting samples for the chosen analytical method.
VI.1.4 Background Control Points

In addition to the strategies outlined above, QCC (2017) and EAD (2016) recommend, where possible, collecting soil samples at
“background” control points near the site. These background points are identified to act as a reference point in determining the
levels of contamination at the site against pre-existing concentrations in the area around the site.
VI.1.5 Field Screening Techniques

Screening techniques (i.e., field contaminant measurements) can be employed to detect certain soil contaminant concentrations
in the field. Screening techniques can provide additional information before collecting soil samples or can help guide the
sampling effort. Field screening methods may include the following:
 PIDs and flame ionization detectors (FIDs) can be used to field screen soil samples for VOCs and semi-volatile
organic compounds (SVOCs), but are not compound specific and subject to interference (e.g., from moisture).
Headspace testing is an effective way to use a PID or FID in the field, where a soil sample is quickly placed in a closed
bag or jar and allowed to equilibrate for a few minutes before the gas in the jar is sampled using a PID or FID.
 Field gas chromatography (GC) can be used in a similar fashion to PID and FID but provides compound-specific
concentrations for VOCs and SVOCs. However, field GCs are more expensive and difficult to deploy than PIDs or
FIDs.
 Portable X-ray fluorescence instruments can be used to field screen soils for metals.
Note that in general the field-screened sample is not the laboratory-submitted sample but should be an aliquot of that sample.
Confirmatory laboratory measurements are recommended where field screening techniques indicate high contaminant levels.
In addition, non-intrusive geophysical survey techniques (e.g., ground penetrating radar) can be used to identify underground
features (e.g., pipelines, utilities, USTs) that may not have been identified during the PSA and may require modifications to the
sampling locations. Additional details on the applications, limitations, selection, and use of these and other field methods can be
found in the User Guide (EAD, 2016).
VI.1.6 Soil Sampling

Soil sampling retrieves physical soil samples that are representative of a given sampling point. For shallow soil sampling, soil
samples can be taken from freshly exposed sidewalls of test pits or trenches excavated with a shovel or backhoe, or grab
samples can be taken from the soil surface using a shovel, scoop, or hand auger. For sampling at greater depth, direct push,
drilling or auguring methods can be employed to obtain intact soil cores. These cores can then be described and sampled at the
desired depth intervals (see Figure 6 above). Cores should be handled promptly and soil samples cooled to sustain original
conditions as much as possible. Augers and split-spoon sampling should be used with care because they can disturb sample
integrity and can cross-contaminate soil during drilling operations. Table 6 describes the basic types of contaminated soil
samples and how they are taken.
Table 6. Basic soil sample types (EAD, 2016; EPA, 2014)

Soil Sample Type Purpose Description
Grab samples (manual) Obtain discrete sample of surface soils  Can be excavated with a shovel, scoop, spoons,
or other easily accessible sampling or a hand auger
points  Only to depths up to 0.5 m or as sidewall
samples from pit or trench
Test pits and trenches Visual assessment of broader soil  Excavated with backhoe to depths up to 3 m
(backhoe) profile and potential contamination;  Causes extensive soil disturbance; not feasible in
accessible to grab samples. unstable soil or hard rock
 Safety precautions needed to avoid collapse of
pit or trench walls
Soil coring from boreholes Obtain undisturbed intact samples from  Depth only limited by drilling method; requires
(direct push, sonic, various depths; quick handling and cooling of soil cores to
hollow-stem augers, and maintain undisturbed condition
other drilling methods)  Split spoon, thin-walled (Shelby tube), coring
devices
m = meter.
Additional information on these sampling methods can be found in the EAD User Guide (EAD, 2016) and in EPA (2014c), which
also provides standard operating procedures (SOPs) for their implementation. EAD (2016) specifies that the most commonly
used investigation techniques are test pits, trenching and drilling of shallow wells. Samples from shallow depth are generally
obtained from test pits and trenches or from augers. Samples from greater depths may be obtained by a range of drilling
methods including direct push, hollow stem augers, split spoon, Shelby tube, mud rotary and sonic drilling. Methods capable of
providing continuous or near-continuous soil cores, such as direct push, split spoon and sonic drilling are preferred. Air drilling
and solid flight augers provide highly disturbed samples and poor depth control which limits their value for site characterization
purposes. EPA (2014c) provides SOPs for manual sampling methods for surface and shallow soil sampling (spoons, hand
augers), direct push sampling methods (Large Bore and Macro-Core, and Dual Tube samplers), and drill rig methods (split
spoon and Shelby tube/thin-walled samplers).
Discrete Samples
A discrete sample represents one specific (discrete) horizontal location and associated depth. This sample type should be used
for all soil sampling activities. However, in the case of sampling very large stockpiles, where the sampling material has to be
accessed by large equipment (e.g., bulldozer), a certain degree of soil mixing cannot be avoided and the sample location cannot
precisely be associated with a specific horizontal location and associated depth.
Composite Samples
Composite samples consist of several individual samples that have been homogenized to represent the average condition of the
soil. However, this approach may lead to under-representation of the contamination because samples containing high
contaminant concentrations may remain undetected because those high concentrations were diluted in the compositing
process. Therefore, composite sampling is not recommended if peak concentrations are of concern (EAD, 2016).
Duplicate Samples
A duplicate sample can be created by splitting a sample in half or by collecting a duplicate sample at exactly the same sampling
point and at the same time. Duplicate samples should be stored in separate containers and marked as such. In the case of soil
cores, the core should be cut in half along the vertical axis and both core halves should be stored and labeled accordingly.
Per Abu Dhabi Soil Contamination Specifications (QCC, 2017), duplicate samples (with frequency of at least 1 per 20 primary
samples) shall be obtained and analyzed to evaluate the overall precision of the sampling and analytical methods.
Field Parameters
In addition to taking the actual soil sample for contaminant analysis, the investigator should record certain field information for
each sample, including:
 Precise sample or boring location (latitude, longitude, depth) and date/time stamp
 Sampling staff names and position
 Sampling equipment. In the case of borings, the drilling method, casing diameter, ground surface elevation, datum, and
final boring depth
 Depth to groundwater, if encountered in a soil boring
 Soil type, color, structure, grain size, shape, sorting, particle type and cementation, moisture, and origin. Soil
classification systems such as the Unified Soil Classification System or the U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil
Classification System should be used to describe and determine the soil type and texture at the sampling point,
followed by a particle size analysis in a certified laboratory.
 pH and electrical conductivity (using a 1:1 ratio of soil to water)
 Unusual odors (as encountered, but do not sniff samples)
 Surface conditions that could adversely affect the sample, such as trash, chemical containers, waste dumps, and runoff
channels. These observations describe features that are recent or temporary and may not have been captured by the
PSA or other previous site visits.
All field information should be logged either manually or electronically and photos should be taken of any relevant features. To
avoid cross-contamination, all soil sampling equipment in potential direct contact with the soil to be sampled should be brushed
and rinsed off between sampling locations or, in the case of hand tools, washed in detergent and then rinsed off. When handling
samples, sampling team members should wear gloves and replace gloves between each sample.
For a more detailed description of soil sampling and coring techniques, uses, and limitations, see the EAD Soil Contamination
User Guide (EAD, 2016).
VI.1.7 Sampling of Secondary Media
The DSA sampling plan also should address other environmental media that are affected by the release and transport of soil
contaminants to on-site and off-site receptors, such as groundwater, surface water, and sediment, and, for the vapor intrusion
pathway, soil gas and indoor air. The box entitled “Secondary Media Sampled in a Detailed Site Assessment (DSA)” describes
these media, why they are often contaminated along with soils, and where to go for guidance for sample selection and analysis.
Secondary Media Sampled in a Detailed Site Assessment (DSA)
The DSA sampling effort focuses on contaminated soil at a site, specifically the depth and areal
extent of contamination at the source. Depending on site and contaminant characteristics, soil
contaminants can migrate away from a source, contaminating other media. When this occurs, the
DSA should sample these media as well as components of exposure at a site. Examples of such
secondary media include the following:
 Groundwater can be contaminated by soil leachate. More soluble contaminants tend to

dissolve into soil porewater and be transported to and in groundwater. Less soluble
groundwater contaminants may sorb to subsurface particles with limited dissolution and slower
contaminant migration from the source. Dense non-aqueous phase liquid and light non-
aqueous phase liquid travel across the bottom and the top of the water table, respectively, with
dissolution occurring from the original source material over time. Methods and guidance for
collecting groundwater samples can be found in EAD-EQ-PR-SOP-04 (EAD, 2017b).
 Surface water, including water and sediment in runoff channels and downslope waterbodies,
can be contaminated by erosion and runoff from contaminated soil areas. Soluble soil
contaminants can be dissolved in surface runoff, while insoluble contaminants can be eroded
and deposited as sediment downstream from a site. U.S. EPA (2013 and 2014a) provides
SOPs for sampling surface water and sediment, respectively.
 Soil gas poses a threat to indoor air when it transports volatile organic compound (VOC)
vapors from contaminated soil or groundwater into occupied buildings through the vapor
intrusion pathway. “Vapor intrusion" refers to the process by which volatile chemicals move
from a subsurface source into the indoor air of overlying or adjacent buildings. The subsurface
source can either be contaminated groundwater or contaminated soil that releases vapors into
the pore spaces in the soil. Soil gas is sampled through probes and sorbent samplers
(California Department of Toxic Substances Control [CA DTSC], 2015; U.S. EPA, 2014b),
while indoor air is sampled using passive samplers (U.S. EPA, 2017) and stainless-steel
canisters. Guidance on monitoring and assessing the vapor intrusion pathway can be found in
CA DTSC (2011), U.S. EPA (2015), and at https://www.epa.gov/vaporintrusion.
In the scope of this TGD, the primary environmental medium is the soil contaminated by a spill, leak,
or other event. The primary environmental medium may then contaminate one or more of these
secondary environmental media before reaching receptors of concern.
VI.1.8 Sample Analysis

Once field sampling is complete, samples of soil and other media will be shipped to qualified laboratories for analysis. The Abu
Dhabi Soil Contamination Specifications (QCC, 2017) require that:
 Soil testing shall be conducted as per the testing procedures of Soil Science Society of America, the U.S. EPA, or any
equivalent testing procedures approved by EAD.
 The laboratory providing soil quality testing services shall continuously maintain full accreditation in accordance with
International Standard ISO/IEC 17025:2005-General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration
Laboratories. This accreditation shall cover full technical competence for each of the test methods, as well as for
operation of the laboratory quality management system.
 The laboratory should be approved by the Abu Dhabi QCC.
The laboratory selected to analyze soil, groundwater, soil vapor, or other media sampled during the DSA should meet these
minimum qualifications as well as be able to analyze and report results for the contaminants of interest using standard methods
accepted by EAD that can achieve the method detection limits (MDLs) required for the analysis (e.g., below the 2017 ADS SLs).
Table 7 provides typical methods and MDLs for contaminants expected at contaminated soil sites.
Table 7. Typical soil analytical methods and method detection limits (MDLs)
Analyte Method Description Typical MDL
Trace metals (As, Sb, Be, B, Cd, Cr, APHA 3120 Inductively Coupled Plasma – Optical 1 mg/kg
Cu, Co, Fe, Pb, Mn, Ni, Zn) Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES)
Mercury EPA 245.7 Cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry 0.01 mg/kg
Free cyanide HACH 8027 Water extraction, colorimetric 0.025 mg/kg
Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) NJ DEP EPH Gas chromatography/flame ionization 0.05 mg/kg;
(fractions) Method 10; detector (GC/FID); 50 mg/kg
Method 08 GC mass spectroscopy (GC/MS)
SVOCs; polycyclic aromatic EPA 8270D GC/MS 0.01 mg/kg
hydrocarbons (PAHs); pesticides;
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
VOCs EPA 8260C GC/MS headspace 0.05 mg/kg
APHA = American Public Health Association; As = arsenic; Be = beryllium; B = boron; Cd = cadmium; Cr = chromium; Cu =
copper; Co = cobalt; EPH = extractable petroleum hydrocarbons; Fe = iron; FID = flame ionization detector; GC = gas
chromatography; ICP-OES = Inductively Coupled Plasma – Optical Emission Spectroscopy; kg = kilogram; mg = milligram;
MDL = method detection limit; Mn = manganese; MS = mass spectrometry; Ni = nickel; NJ DEP = New Jersey Department of
Environmental Protection; PAH = polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon; Pb = lead; PCB = polychlorinated biphenyl; Sb = antimony;
SVOC = volatile organic compound; TPH = total petroleum hydrocarbons; VOC = volatile organic compound; Zn = zinc.
VI.1.9 Data Review

Once data are received from the laboratory, the data should be validated. Data validation usually refers to checking the
accuracy and precision of the measurements and reviewing analysis of blanks, which should be reported for any significant
contaminated site investigation.
 Accuracy, or bias, is the closeness of the analytical result to the “true” value and is usually assessed by either sending
duplicate samples for analysis in a different laboratory (inter-laboratory comparison) or analyzing samples of a certified
reference material, with results presented as the relative percentage difference between the known and observed
values.
 Precision refers to the consistency or repeatability of analytical results and is usually assessed by duplicate samples.
Precision is usually described by measures of variability like relative percentage difference or the coefficient of variation
between duplicates. The use of duplicates in the soil sampling process can indicate the precision in the sampling
process, while analysis of duplicates in the lab. indicates analytical precision.
 Outliers are observations in a set of data that appear to be excessively high or low with respect to the mean value and
range of the other observations. Outliers may arise from analytical or sampling difficulties but can also represent actual
site contamination (e.g., a hot spot). In other words, an outlier may be spurious or genuine. When outliers are
suspected, each should be evaluated to determine if it is a real result and any real outliers reported as such, with a full
discussion of why they were removed from the analysis.
Additional information on checking for and testing outliers, as well as practices for reviewing data quality, can be found in the
User Guide (EAD, 2016).
Sampling results for those parameters that were analyzed, should be also submitted to EAD’s Environmental Theatre (ET) via
electronic data deliverables (EDDs) for which EAD provides the appropriate templates. The ET also houses EAD’s monitoring
data, so that these site specific analytical results and any subsequent site monitoring results can be benchmarked against
baseline data or compared with other Abu Dhabi site data in the soil database component of the ET. Submission of analytical
results via the EDDs ensures certain data review and validation aspects, such as the use of pre-existing domain lists for data
entry, checks for duplicate records and missing required data elements.
VI.1.10 Example Soil Sampling Case Study

The Example Soil Sampling Case Study in the following text boxes provides a simple example of how the information from a
DSA can be collected and used for the simple case of determining whether surface soils at a currently industrial facility are safe,
from the contaminated soil perspective, for residential redevelopment. The material in this section was developed from
Mussafah M35 - Soil Contamination Assessment Report (EAD, 2017a).
Example Soil Sampling Case Study
Figure 7 is an example surface soil sampling plan map for an industrial area being evaluated for possible
residential development. This site assessment was designed to provide information about whether this
change in land use is feasible from the perspective of surface soils. Because multiple industries have
operated at this 100-acre site, the sampling/analysis plan addressed a broad spectrum of chemicals, including
metals, petroleum hydrocarbons, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Because information was limited
on likely contaminant locations, a combination of a systematic square grid and random sampling was used.
The area was divided into 25 200 x 200 meter (m) (4 hectare) square grids, and two random surface soil
samples were taken from each grid, with one duplicate sample for every 10 samples for quality control
(precision). A total of 55 surface soil samples were taken (0 to 25 centimeter [cm] depth) and soil profiles 150
cm deep were taken at four locations.
Figure 7 shows the 50 sampling locations for the study, with the red, blue, and green dots representing the
three teams performing the sampling. Results can be summarized as follows:
 Water was found at depths of 40 to 60 cm in the deeper cores, although regional data from the
Environment Atlas for Abu Dhabi show the groundwater table at 5 to 10 m. This calls for further
investigation to map and identify the source of the elevated water table.
 Nutrients, salinity, and pH were as expected for the area and suitable for residential use.
 Residential soil Screening Levels (SLs) were exceeded for arsenic, cobalt, and molybdenum at one
location (8), and sensitive use SL for arsenic was exceeded at two locations (16 and 17) and for
cadmium at one location (8). At all other sampling locations, measured contaminant concentrations
were below the residential and sensitive use SLs.
 Residential Cleanup Levels (CLs) were not exceeded in any sample.
 Evidence of petroleum hydrocarbon contamination in the surface soil samples was mainly at sites
(32 and 33) in the mid to northern part of the site, but more sampling at depth is needed to confirm
and evaluate.
The conclusions of the sampling effort include a recommendation to investigate further

 the cause and lateral and vertical extent of the SL exceedances (arsenic, cadmium, cobalt,
molybdenum) in the northern and northwestern areas of the site
 the source of the shallower-than-expected groundwater levels in the deeper soil cores
 the vertical extent (depth) of the petroleum hydrocarbon contamination in the central part of the site
should be investigated.
Once these issues are resolved, and no further issues arise, soil contamination will not restrict residential
redevelopment.
(continued)
Figure 7. Systematic surface soil sampling grid for evaluation of a change of

industrial to residential land use
Two random samples were taken within each grid and analyzed for metals, total petroleum hydrocarbons, and
VOCs. The three colors (red, blue, and green) were used to guide three teams to each sampling point. Only
metals showed SL exceedances at the three sampling locations shown by arrows (8, 16, and 17).
VI.2 DSA Risk Assessment Matrix

The goal of this section is to provide a brief
description of the risk assessment method
chosen for the DSA. Methods for risk analysis Rationale for Using a Risk Matrix
are generally categorized as qualitative
Applicability: Risk matrices are particularly applicable in
(outcomes without numerical values), semi-
instances where data need further categorization to facilitate risk
quantitative (numerical outcomes without a unit
management and communication efforts. Risk matrices provide
of measurement), or quantitative (numerical
an effective visualization tool for communicating necessary
outcomes with specific units). Many view
actions based on potential risk.
quantitative methods as the gold standard, but
such approaches may not be feasible given Advantages: Risk matrices can be implemented relatively
available resources or appropriate for the goals quickly and with limited availability of resources and data. Risk
of the analysis. Qualitative or semi-quantitative matrices are also easy to communicate and allow for different
methods are faster and require fewer resources, types of risk and risk levels to be considered in the same relative
and, if appropriate, severity and likelihood ranking scheme. Using a risk matrix for the DSA is designed to
criteria are chosen, these methods can be a make the process understandable and transparent.
good choice to balance the needs of additional
site assessment with resources. A risk matrix Disadvantages: Drawbacks include concerns that binning
can be both a qualitative and a semi-quantitative quantitative risk information decreases the resolution of the
method that considers a wide variety of data to results and that they create a false sense of precision. For
rank risks. Risks are categorized into bins example, if bins are not clearly defined, it is difficult to interpret
according to their relative severity and likelihood the results and there is loss of information. As noted by Cox
criteria. In this TGD, contaminant concentration (2008), the qualitative risk matrix output matches the underlying
data in relation to SLs and CLs are used as a quantitative risk ranking results only if certain principles are
proxy for severity, while exposure pathway adhered to during the risk ranking process. Overall, the main
identification (complete, incomplete, insufficient limitations of risk matrices are 1) poor resolution, 2) suboptimal
data) is used as an estimate of the likelihood of resource allocation, 3) inability to account for uncertainty, and 4)
exposure. ambiguous inputs and outputs based on the user and the type of
risk matrix employed. To minimize the disadvantages, we have
VI.2.1 Severity: Comparison with clearly defined the risk bins, and uncertainty in exposure is built
Contaminant SLs and CLs into the risk matrix.
Once the sampling plan has been implemented

and results have been reported, soil contamination
levels measured in the DSA are compared with EAD’s general soil contamination SLs and CLs presented in Appendix A of the
User Guide (EAD, 2016) and in QCC (2017) to estimate severity. For media concentrations (e.g., groundwater, soil gas, and
indoor VOC levels) that potentially indicate the presence of soil-to-groundwater and vapor intrusion exposure pathways, and in
other cases where EAD-specific guidelines are not yet available, the U.S. EPA’s Regional Screening Levels (RSLs) and vapor
intrusion screening levels (VISLs) can be used. The EPA’s RSL Web site (https://www.epa.gov/risk/regional-screening-levels-
rsls-generic-tables-june-2017) and VISL tool provide the most recent RSLs and VISLs and all methods and limitations for their
use, which should be read, understood, and adjusted to Abu-Dhabi conditions before being applied to sites in Abu Dhabi. Any
use of alternative (i.e., non-EAD) SLs or CLs must be reviewed and approved as part of the DSA review process.
VI.2.2 Likelihood: Site-Specific Evaluation of Exposure

Next, the investigator evaluates the CSM exposure pathways against the PSA/DSA information on sources and exposure to
determine the likelihood of exposure and relative risk. This involves answering the following questions:
 What exposure pathways are present at the site?
 Which exposure pathways are complete or potentially complete?
 What are the exposure concentrations at the receptor locations for any complete exposure pathways?
For example, if the site is (and is projected to be) surrounded by commercial/industrial land use, it may be appropriate to
eliminate some exposure pathways (e.g., children ingesting contaminated soil) and report only industrial exposures and risks. Or
if groundwater is saline under the site, protection of groundwater quality may not be a big issue because no one is using the
groundwater, and the soil-to-groundwater exposure pathway can be regarded as incomplete (unless there are vapor intrusion
issues at the site).
VI.2.3 Applying the Risk Assessment Matrix

As shown in Figure 8, a low severity is associated with all contaminant concentrations below all SLs, while a moderate severity
is associated with at least one contaminant concentration between at least one SL and CL, and a high severity is associated
with at least one contaminant concentration above at least one CL. Considering likelihood, the lowest likelihood of exposure is
associated with an incomplete exposure pathway, a moderate likelihood of exposure is associated with insufficient information
to err on the side of caution, and a high likelihood of exposure is associated with a complete exposure pathway. The likelihood
and severity criteria are considered together to develop an overall low-, moderate-, or high-relative risk score.
Figure 8. DSA risk matrix with low, moderate, and high-relative risk scores
In cases where all contaminant concentrations are below all SLs, a low risk is assigned regardless of the likelihood of exposure
because exposure would not result in adverse health outcomes based on the low or undetectable contaminant concentrations.
In cases where at least one contaminant concentration is between the SL and CL, but all exposure pathways are incomplete,
the risk is also scored as low. For sites with contaminant concentrations between SLs and CLs, along with insufficient exposure
information or a complete exposure pathway, the risk is designated as moderate. Lastly, for sites with CL exceedances and
complete or uncertain exposure pathways, the risk is deemed high. Note that if there is only one action level (not an SL and CL),
a contaminant concentration exceedance above that action level is considered a CL for the purpose of this guidance. The
relative risk outcomes of this analysis are detailed in the text box below.
Outcomes of Risk Binning in the Detailed Site Assessment (DSA)
 If a site has a low-risk score, EAD may deem that no further site characterization or risk
management plan is needed. Monitoring and reporting may still be required for a specified amount
of time (e.g., up to 2 years) before issuing a No Further Action (assuming final monitoring and
reporting do not find anything to the contrary regarding severity and likelihood).
 If a site has a moderate-risk score and EAD does not find that the site is fully characterized (e.g.,
incomplete exposure pathways), a request for additional site characterization will first be made,
which may lead to a risk management plan request if the site risk is still deemed to be moderate or
high. If the site is already sufficiently characterized (sufficient vertical and horizontal site delineation
is completed), then a risk management plan is required as the next step. Justification for the chosen
remedial technique is required, but a full review of all remedial, engineering, and land use control
options may not be necessary.
 If a site has a high-risk score, a risk management plan that considers both active and passive
remedial treatment options is required, along with engineering controls (e.g., fencing, pavement)
and land use controls (e.g., restrictive covenants for land use type, water usage). Additional site
characterization and monitoring activities may also be warranted.
*Note that this approach assumes that screening levels are available for all contaminants at the site.
VI.3 Next Steps

If the level of contamination and pathways of potential exposure are determined to be acceptable after the DSA (i.e., all
contaminants are below SLs or between SLs and CLs with incomplete exposure pathways), the site is low-risk, and EAD will
notify the investigator that NFA is required at this time (although final monitoring and reporting may still be required for a
specified time period). If the site’s relative risks are moderate or high, EAD will require the investigator to develop a Risk
Management Plan that includes specific processes on how the site will be remediated, how risks will be mitigated, and whether
future land use restrictions or engineering controls are needed. EAD will develop additional guidance for the developing a Risk
Management Plan.
Section VII. DSA Report

This section presents the template for the DSA report (Table 8) and provides good practice guidance on the information
required to complete the DSA report. The information presented here and in the User Guide (EAD, 2016) is guidance only. The
level of detail and complexity of the DSA report are highly dependent on the site-specific information and degree of
contamination.
The DSA should be conducted and the DSA report prepared by a qualified investigator approved and registered by EAD. A
current list of registered consultants can be obtained from EAD Customer Service or the EAD Web site.
Table 8. Standard table of contents for the DSA report

Table of Contents
List of Tables
List of Figures
Chapter 1 Executive Summary 1.1 Site Description and Statement of Requirements
1.2 Summary of Findings
Chapter 2 Introduction 2.1 Site Location
2.2 Proponent Information
2.3 DSA Investigators
2.4 Statement of Requirement
Chapter 3 Legal Framework
Chapter 4 DSA Sampling and Analysis 4.1 General Considerations
Program 4.2 Sampling and Analysis Plan
4.3 Summary of Results, Findings, and Revised CSM
Chapter 5 Risk Assessment Reporting 5.1 Comparison to SLs and CLs
5.2 Site Specific Evaluation of Exposure
5.3 Application of Risk Assessment Matrix
5.4 Conclusions, Data Gaps, and Uncertainties
Annexes
Annex 1 References
Annex 2 Supporting Information on the Current Condition (e.g., detailed methodology, and results)
Annex 3 Material Safety Data Sheets (if applicable)
Annex 4 Analytical Results (Laboratory Reports)
CSM = conceptual site model; SL = screening level; CL = cleanup level.
EAD officials will review the submitted DSA report to verify that all chapters are complete and that the report meets the
stipulated requirements. The time frame for EAD review will be at least 2 months.
The remainder of this section lists the report chapters and sections and describes the content that should be included in each.
This section should include a list of abbreviations and acronyms used in the DSA report. This list should be presented in a
tabular format using a format similar to this TGD.
This section should include a list of key terms used in the DSA report and their definitions. This information should be presented
in a format similar to that used in this TGD.
List of Tables
This section should include a list of all the tables presented within the main body of the DSA report and should indicate table
numbers, table titles, and associated page numbers.
List of Figures
This section should include a list of all the figures presented within the main body of the DSA report and should indicate figure
numbers, figure titles, and associated page numbers.
VII.1 Chapter 1—Executive Summary

Chapter 1 of the DSA report should be a non-technical summary of the site. This chapter should outline the overall site
characteristics, the reason for conducting the DSA, and significant findings from the DSA and risk assessment, and conclusions,
next steps, data gaps, and uncertainties. This chapter should include the following subsections, which are discussed in more
detail below:
 Site Description and Statement of Requirement
 Summary of Findings
 Conclusions /Next Steps.
VII.1.1 Site Description and Statement of Requirements

This subsection should contain a short description of the site location and characteristics, PSA results, and the reason for
conducting the DSA. This description should provide enough information for reviewers to understand the importance and scope
of the investigation.
VII.1.2 Summary of Findings

This subsection should describe the findings of the DSA and risk assessment, including the nature and extent of soil
contamination, contaminant source(s), current and future receptors, and identified exposure pathways ranked by the exposures
and risks that they pose to on-site and off-site receptors. The following information and findings should be included and
described:
 A summary of the nature and extent of any areas of contamination, active exposure pathways between the
contaminant sources and on-site and off-site receptors, and exceedances of risk thresholds for active pathways and
exposure points
 A site map highlighting potential or actual areas of contamination, denoting sources, exposure pathways, affected
media, receptors, exposure points, and risks
 An updated CSM that adjusts and updates the PSA CSM to account for the information collected during the DSA
 Data gaps, uncertainties, and limitations
 Areas in need of further examination for possible remedial action
 Areas where a risk management plan and remedial action or use restriction is needed
 Conclusions and next steps.
VII.2 Chapter 2—Introduction

Chapter 2 should include information, data, and details relevant to the site and DSA, organized according to the subsections
discussed below. The information in Chapter 2 can be obtained from the PSA report, with updates reflecting any additional
information collected during the DSA.
VII.2.1 Site Location

This section should include a description of the site, including the type of site (e.g., chemical manufacturing company, a hospital,
a water park, an electric generator), the physical location, and size of the area.
VII.2.2 Proponent Information

This section should include the name, address, telephone number, and fax number of the proponent’s firm; the name and
designation of the contact person who is responsible for the site management; and a listing and brief description of nearby
activities and facilities in the area.
VII.2.3 DSA Investigators

This section should include the name, address, telephone number, and fax number of the investigator’s firm; the names of team
members from that consulting firm who prepared the DSA report (and e-mail address for the key contact); and the field(s) of
expertise of the consulting firm and the individual team members.
VII.2.4 Statement of Requirement

This section should describe reason(s) for conducting the detailed site contamination assessment and the schedule and steps
taken to fulfill the requirement. The following information should be included in this section:
 A list of the sequence of events and dates associated with preparing the DSA report
 A list and description of the main findings of the DSA
 A summary of any changes in the PSA requirements that resulted from the DSA investigation
 A summary of any requirements (e.g., Remedial Management Plan) resulting from the DSA findings.
VII.3 Chapter 3—Legal Framework

Chapter 3 should explain the legislative basis for the proposed project outlined in the DSA report. Chapter 3 of the PSA can be
used as the basis for this chapter with any additions to cover the broader aspects of the DSA investigation and risk assessment.
For example, Appendix A of the User Guide (EAD, 2016) or QCC (2017) should be referenced as the source of the soil
contamination screening and CLs used in the assessment. Chapter 3 should also include:
 All relevant and applicable Emirate and local laws, regulations, TGDs, and permits
 The source document(s) for standard contaminant limits.
These source documents and contaminant limits should be the most current published and should address all contaminants that
will be assessed or produced during the activities and phases of the proposed project. If EAD or other federal standards are not
available for a contaminant of concern, then the best available source(s) of standard limits should be used with a detailed
justification of why each source is best.
DSA activities should comply with relevant workplace health and safety guidance and legislation, with all relevant and
appropriate laws, regulations, requirements, standards, and guidelines related to health and safety and protection of the
environment explained in this section. This includes the Abu Dhabi EHSMS regulatory framework that requires EAD to have
clearly defined and communicated workplace health and safety requirements and environmental protection plans (EAD, 2016).
For example, the investigator should develop a Health and Safety Plan (HASP) for the investigative work that addresses all
relevant exposure pathways for site-specific COCs. Basic elements of a HASP include:
 All appropriate job safety analyses, describing each step of a job to identify potential exposures and hazards and
recommend hazard controls to minimize worker injury or illness
 The selection and proper sizing, testing, and use of personal protective equipment (masks, respirators, hardhats,
safety glasses, gloves, and other protective clothing) addressing all relevant exposure pathways for site-specific COCs;
 Appropriate health and safety training (e.g., 40 hours) and refresher courses (e.g., 8 hours) required for site
investigation workers
 Emergency procedures and contacts in case of an accident at the site.
Any plans for drilling groundwater monitoring wells at the site should be carefully designed, reviewed, evaluated, and
implemented so that wells do not cause cross-contamination between aquifers or between the surface and subsurface
environments. For example, a well screen should not extend across confining layers to connect previously unconnected
aquifers. The well design should include ways of protecting the well from unauthorized access (e.g., locking covers, fenced
enclosures). In addition, any investigation-derived waste (e.g., drilling fluids, drill cuttings, soil cores, groundwater) should be
properly captured, contained, characterized, and appropriately treated or disposed of.
Other core environmental protection elements for DSAs include management of odors, volatiles, and dust emissions; prevention
of contaminant migration via air, groundwater, or erosion and runoff; fire prevention and control; management of contaminated
soil; and maintenance of geotechnical stability. Section 9 of the User Guide (EAD, 2016) provides additional details on
identifying core environmental protection elements and addressing environmental protection issues during site assessment
activities. Protection of heritage sites and rare habitats and organisms is also addressed.
VII.4 Chapter 4—DSA Sampling and Analysis Program

Chapter 4 should describe the sampling and analysis program developed and implemented to determine the nature and extent
of contamination during the DSA, including the background information collected to plan the sampling effort, the sampling plan
to conduct the site investigation, and sampling program results.
VII.4.1 General Considerations

The type of field work conducted during the DSA will vary depending on the nature of contaminants being investigated and site
characteristics. This section should include site history information from the PSA, along with the CSM components: AOCs, on-
site and off-site receptors (i.e., workers and nearby residents), COCs, potential contaminant sources and release mechanisms,
and potential exposure pathways between the sources and receptors of concern.
VII.4.2 Sampling and Analysis Plan

The goal of the DSA soil sampling effort is to sample laterally and at depth to define the horizontal and vertical extent of
contamination and to sample other media as needed to characterize the exposure pathways that move contaminants from the
source(s) to on-site and off-site receptors. This section should describe the DSA sampling and analysis plan, including the type
and number of samples to be collected for each media component, sampling methodology for each environmental medium, the
sampling strategy, the location and depth(s) at which the samples are to be collected, analytical parameters, and any direct field
screening methods to be used to help guide the soil sampling effort. The sampling components addressed by the plan will
depend on the site conditions. The main components to be addressed in this section include (as applicable) the following:
 Horizontal Soil Sampling Extent (Sampling Location)—The soil sampling strategy used to assess the horizontal (areal)
extent of soil contamination and its basis, as described in Section VI.1 of this document.
 Vertical Soil Sampling Extent (Sampling Depth)—The soil sampling strategy used to assess the vertical extent and
maximum depth of soil contamination and its basis, for example, contaminant properties, field screening
measurements, or observations (soil type/horizon, stains, color, moisture). See Section VI.1.
 Sampling Methodology for Secondary Media—The sampling strategy used to assess contamination in environment
media along exposure pathways of concern at the site (for example groundwater, surface water, soil gas, and indoor
air).
Table 9 presents the primary considerations that should be included in the sampling and analysis plan description for soil and
for the different environmental media that may be contaminated as contaminants migrate from the original contaminated soil
area and serve as secondary sources of exposure. Soil sampling designs should be consistent with U.S. EPA (2002) or any
equivalent designs approved by EAD (see Section VI.1 herein and EAD User Guide [2016]).
Table 9. Considerations for sampling and analysis of soil and secondary environmental media
along exposure pathways
Environmental Media Sample Type Sampling and Analysis Plan Specifications
Contaminated soil Grab samples (surface soil), Number, location, depth interval; analytical parameters
cores or borings (soil at (COCs); sampling and analytical methodologies; and SLs
depth) and detection limits for comparisons
Groundwater affected by Water from well or direct Number, location, depth interval, and construction details of
contaminated soil leachate push probe beneath and the monitoring well/device; number of samples; analytical
down-gradient from site parameters (COCs); sampling and analytical methodologies;
and SLs and detection limits for comparisons
Surface water impacted by Water and sediment grab Number and location of grab samples, analytical parameters
runoff from contaminated samples from runoff (COCs), sampling and analytical methodologies, and SLs
soil channels and waterbodies and detection limits for comparisons.
receiving runoff from
contaminated soil
Soil gas above VOC- Active sorbent tube Number, location, and depths of soil gas sampling probes;
contaminated soil or samples, Tedlar bags, VOCs of interest; sampling and analytical methodologies;
groundwater, and beneath summa canisters and SLs and detection limits for comparisons
foundation slabs of overlying
buildings
Indoor air in buildings above Passive sorbents, summa Number and location of indoor and outdoor air samples,
contaminated soil or canisters VOCs of interest, sampling and analytical methodologies,
groundwater and SLs and detection limits for comparisons
COC = contaminant of concern; SL = screening level; VOC = volatile organic compound.
VII.4.3 Summary of Results, Findings, and Revised CSM

This section should present sampling results and include sufficient narrative, tables, maps, and aerial photographs showing the
locations of sampling points and significant site features to describe the following:
 Nature and extent of the contaminants identified: their concentration, fate and transport, distribution and media in
which they occur (soil, water, vapor, sediment, or air), and background concentration results from nearby areas. All
sampling data and baseline data also must be submitted in EDD formats.
 Physical characteristics of the environment influencing contaminant fate and transport along any complete
exposure pathways of concern: soil type, porosity, vadose zone thickness, hydraulic gradient and velocity and
hydraulic conductivity of the saturated zone, and the potential presence of preferential migration pathways.
This section should also present the updated CSM, revised to reflect the information collected for both on-site and off-site
receptors. Any changes in site conditions and the CSM since the PSA should be noted. Relevant information for the CSM, in
addition to the environmental and contaminant characteristics listed above, includes:
 Size, location, and structural materials of current or future buildings; potential presence of preferential vapor pathways;
nature, size, and location of outdoor spaces
 People currently residing or working at the site or in off-site areas nearby, future occupiers of the site after
redevelopment, or environmental populations in receiving environments (e.g., coastal zones, ocean, land).
The CSM documentation and diagrams created in the PSA should be updated as needed and included as part of the DSA
report. For example, new contaminants and exposure pathways could be added, or potential exposure pathways determined to
be incomplete, based on sample analysis results or other information collected during the PSA.
VII.5 Chapter 5—Risk Assessment Reporting

The detailed risk assessment includes three primary components. The first is to compare the DSA sampling results to the risk-
based soil SLs and CLs (EAD, 2016; QCC, 2017), as defined by the CSM, with respect to the current and projected future uses
of the site. The second is to evaluate the exposure pathways identified at the site during the PSA and DSA to determine whether
they are complete, incomplete, or insufficient/uncertain information (source to receptor). Third, the likelihood of exposure and
severity (contaminant concentrations) should be placed on the risk matrix (shown in Section VI.2.3) to identify whether the site
falls into a low-, moderate-, or high-relative risk category.
VII.5.1 Comparison to SLs and CLs

In this section, soil contamination levels measured in the DSA are compared with EAD’s soil SLs and CLs presented in
Appendix A of the EAD User Guide (2016) and in QCC (2017). Comparisons of a site should be based on the current and future
land use(s) identified during the CSM, with the difference between the SLs and CLs being used to estimate the potential severity
of risk for the site’s soils.
For media concentrations (e.g., soil, groundwater, soil gas, and indoor air VOC levels) from samples taken to represent soil-to-
groundwater and vapor intrusion exposure pathways, where EAD-specific SL guidelines are not yet available, alternative SLs
(e.g., the U.S. EPA’s RSLs or VISLs) can be used. The EPA’s RSL Web site (https://www.epa.gov/risk/regional-screening-
levels-rsls-generic-tables-june-2017) provides the most recent RSLs and all methods and limitations for their use, which should
be read, understood, and adjusted to Abu-Dhabi conditions, before being applied to sites in Abu Dhabi. If this option is selected,
the investigator is responsible for fully documenting their selection, modification, and use, in a manner that compares them with
the EAD guidelines and provides adequate information for EAD to review their selection and application.
Care should be taken when interpreting sampling results that are close to the guideline values because results near the
guidelines are sensitive to the variability in the sampling results or can be due to uncertainties in results or guidelines being
compared. Where there are uncertainties, the most conservative (lower guideline) values should be used along with reasonable
estimates of the maximum concentrations in soil at the site. All such uncertainties should be documented and discussed as part
of the risk assessment portion of the DSA report.
The guidelines comparison effort should be documented with a table showing the contaminant levels from the DSA for the
statistics of interest (mean, 95 percent upper confidence limit [UCL], and maximum); the SLs and CLs being used; an indication
of which contaminants exceed the SLs and CLs; and whether the exceedances are for high-end values (e.g., 95 percent UCL or
maximum), averages, or both.
VII.5.2 Site-Specific Evaluation of Exposure

The investigator should work with site-specific information collected during the PSA and DSA and develop more site-specific
estimates of exposure, as described in ATSDR (2005). The DSA report should document the evaluation of the CSM exposure
pathways against the PSA/DSA information on sources and exposure to determine:
 What exposure pathways are present at the site?
 Which exposure pathways are complete or potentially complete?
 If an exposure is incomplete, is further investigation and action required?
Background information and justification should be provided in the documentation for each of these determinations. Questions
that should be answered for each element (ATSDR, 2005) are shown in Figure 9. In general, this section should describe:
 Contaminant sources (e.g., drums, landfills, waste piles, spills) and how they may release contaminants (e.g., through
leaching, volatilization)
 How contaminants might migrate through environmental media (including magnitude, direction, rate, and whether they
degrade)
 Whether contamination reaches the exposure points (as defined by the locations where people might come into contact
with a contaminated medium)
 Whether there is a possible human exposure route (i.e., how contaminants can enter and expose people through
inhalation, ingestion, or dermal contact)
 What population is potentially exposed.
Is there a contaminant source and release?
Sources may include drums, landfills, and others that may release contaminants into soil.
How do contaminants migrate through a medium?
Is there environmental fate and transport through soil or secondary media and what is its magnitude, rate, and direction?
Does contamination reach an exposure point or area?

As defined by the receptor assessment in the PSA/DSA, are there specific locations where people or ecological receptors (inclusing sensitive
species and habitats) might come into contact with a contaminated medium?
Is there a possible route of human or ecological exposure?

Is there an identified exposure route by which contaminants can enter and expose people or ecological receptors through physical contact
of the environmental contamination at the exposure point (e.g., by inhalation, ingestion, direct contact)?
Are there potentially exposed human and ecological receptors?
Have the populations, ecologicall receptors and habitats identified by the PSA/DSA, come into contact with contaminants?
Figure 9. Key questions for site-specific evaluation of exposure
Answers to these questions are used to identify exposures pathways as complete or incomplete and should be included in the
documentation of DSA results, along with the basis for each determination. For example, if the site is (and is projected to be)
surrounded by commercial/industrial land use, it may be appropriate to report some exposure pathways and routes as
incomplete (e.g., children ingesting contaminated soil) and only report industrial exposures and risk.
VII.5.3 Application of Risk Assessment Matrix

This section should document the application of the Risk Assessment Matrix described in Section VI.2.3 to each area of
contaminated soil being evaluated for the site. For each COC, the relationship of the contaminant concentrations to the EAD
SLs and CLs should be described along with which exposure pathways are complete to on-site and off-site receptors. The end
result of the assessment should be documented for each COC in terms of the relative risk (low, medium, or high) corresponding
to the severity and likelihood estimate for each source area being evaluated. In cases where all COC concentrations are below
all SLs, a low relative risk is assigned regardless of the likelihood of exposure because exposure would not result in adverse
health outcomes based on the low or undetectable contaminant concentrations. In cases where at least one contaminant
concentration is between the SL and CL, but the exposure pathway is incomplete, the risk is also determined to be low. For sites
with contaminant concentrations between SLs and CLs, along with insufficient exposure information or a complete exposure
pathway, there is a moderate relative risk. Lastly, sites with CL exceedances and complete or uncertain exposure pathways, the
risk is deemed high.
VII.5.4 Conclusions, Data Gaps, and Uncertainties

This section should describe the risk analysis outcomes, including whether each contaminated soil area evaluated as low-risk
bin (no further action), moderate-risk (further investigation or action), or high-risk (development of a risk management plan).
Areas of the site in the high-risk category, where media concentrations exceed CLs and exposure pathways are complete, will
be subject to risk management activities as the next step in EAD’s process to address contaminated soils. Any data gaps and
uncertainties associated with applying the Risk Matrix should also be described in this section.
DSA Report Annexes

Annexes should include all information not immediately relevant to the main text of the DSA report. Annexes should include the
following:
 Annex 1—References. This annex should include all references used to develop the DSA report.
 Annex 2— Supporting Information on the Current Condition. This annex should include relevant and detailed
descriptions of the methodology, data, and results of the assessments used to establish the current condition of the soil
and relative risks to on-site and off-site receptors.
 Annex 3—Material Safety Data Sheets (if applicable). This annex should include all MSDSs associated with any
hazardous materials identified in the PSA or DSA.
 Annex 4—Analytical Results. Laboratory reports of analytical results for soil and other environmental media.
Annexes can be reordered and additional annexes can be added as needed.
VIII. References
ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry). 2005. Exposure evaluation: Evaluating exposure pathways.
Chapter 6 in Public Health Assessment Guidance Manual (2005 update). Available at
https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/hac/phamanual/ch6.html.
ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry). 2009. Glossary of Terms. Available at
https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/glossary.html#G-D-.
CA DTSC (California Department of Toxic Substances Control). 2011. Guidance for the Evaluation and Mitigation of Subsurface
Vapor Intrusion to Indoor Air (Vapor Intrusion Guidance). California Environmental Protection Agency. October. Available at
http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/AssessingRisk/upload/Final_VIG_Oct_2011.pdf.
CA DTSC (California Department of Toxic Substances Control). 2015. Advisory Active Soil Gas Investigations. California
Environmental Protection Agency. July. Available at
http://dtsc.ca.gov/SiteCleanup/upload/VI_ActiveSoilGasAdvisory_FINAL.pdf.
EAD (Environment Agency–Abu Dhabi). 2016. Soil Contamination Guidelines for Abu Dhabi Emirate: User Guide. EAD.
EAD (Environment Agency–Abu Dhabi). 2017a. Mussafah M35 - Soil Contamination Assessment Report.
EAD (Environment Agency–Abu Dhabi). 2017b. Standard Operating Procedure for Groundwater Sampling. EAD-EQ-PR-SOP-
04. EAD.EUGRIS. 2017. Portal for Soil and Water Management in Europe. Risk Assessment: Ecological Receptor. Available at
http://www.eugris.info/FurtherDescription.asp?Ca=2&Cy=0&T=Receptor:%20Ecological&e=34.
NJ DEP (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection). 2015. Site Remediation Program, Technical Guidance for Site
Investigation of Soil, Remedial Investigation of Soil, and Remedial Action Verification Sampling for Soil. Version 1.2. Available at
http://www.nj.gov/dep/srp/guidance/srra/soil_inv_si_ri_ra.pdf.
NZMfE (New Zealand Ministry for the Environment). 2006. A National Protocol for State of the Environment Groundwater
Sampling in New Zealand. Available at http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/fresh-water/national-protocol-state-environment-
groundwater-sampling-new-zealand/part.
NZMfE (New Zealand Ministry for the Environment). 2011. Contaminated Land Management Guidelines No. 5: Site Investigation
and Analysis of Soils (Revised 2011). Available at http://www.mfe.govt.nz/node/4366.
QCC (Abu Dhabi Quality & Conformity Council). 2017. Abu Dhabi Specification: Environmental Specifications for Soil
Contamination. November. ADS 18/2017. November.
U.S. EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 1995. Superfund Program: Representative Sampling Guidance. Volume 1:
Soil. U.S. EPA Office of Emergency and Remedial Response, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. Available at
http://www.itrcweb.org/ism-1/references/sf_rep_samp_guid_soil.pdf.
U.S. EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 2002. Guidance on Choosing a Sampling Design for Environmental Data
Collection for Use in Developing a Quality Assurance Project Plan. EPA QA/G-5S. U.S. EPA, Office of Environmental
Information. Available at https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-06/documents/g5s-final.pdf.
U.S. EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 2013. Surface Water Sampling Operating Procedure. SESDPROC-201-R3.
U.S. EPA Region 4. February. Available at https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-06/documents/Surfacewater-
Sampling.pdf.
U.S. EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 2014a. Sediment Sampling Operating Procedure. SESDPROC-200-R3. U.S.
EPA Region 4. August. Available at https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-06/documents/Sediment-Sampling.pdf.
U.S. EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 2014b. Soil Gas Sampling Operating Procedure. SESDPROC-307-R3. U.S.
EPA Region 4. May. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-06/documents/Soil-Gas-Sampling.pdf .
U.S. EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 2014c. Soil Sampling Operating Procedure. SESDPROC-300-R3. U.S. EPA
Region 4. August. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-06/documents/Soil-Sampling.pdf.
U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). 2015. Technical Guide for Assessing and Mitigating the Vapor Intrusion Pathway
from Subsurface Vapor Sources to Indoor Air. OSWER Publication 9200.2-154. U.S. EPA, Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response. June. Available at https://www.epa.gov/vaporintrusion/technical-guide-assessing-and-mitigating-vapor-
intrusion-pathway-subsurface-vapor.
U.S. EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 2017. Regional Screening Levels (RSLs). U.S. EPA. Available at
https://www.epa.gov/risk/regional-screening-levels-rsls.
Annex A:
Potentially Contaminating Industries, Activities,
and Land Uses
Annex A presents a list of industries, activities, and land uses and associated chemicals and compounds that can cause soil
contamination if released accidentally or through substandard management practices. This list is based on Appendix B: List of
Potentially Contaminating Industries of the 2016 EAD Soil Contamination User Guide (EAD, 2016) but has been updated for
completeness from the following EAD information sources. Additions include:
Sectors represented in EAD’s Risk Characterization and Hazard Evaluation System (RiCHES) as part of the On-site
Assessment, Compliance and Inspection System (OACIS). Sectors added from RiCHES include the following:
 Beverages: Metals (e.g., chromium, cadmium, and lead), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
 Dairy Products: Nutrients (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus) and pathogens (e.g., E. coli)
 Electrical Equipment Manufacturing: Beryllium, mercury, PCBs
 Electronics Manufacturing: Arsenic, cadmium, trichloroethylene and potential daughter products (dichloroethylene,
trans-1,2-dichloroethylene, and vinyl chloride), other chlorinated solvents
 Food Products: Nitrogen, phosphorus, pathogens, pesticides
 Furniture Manufacturing: Solvents (e.g., trichloroethylene and potential daughter products [dichloroethylene, trans-
1,2-dichloroethylene and vinyl chloride]), 1,1,1-trichloroethane, toluene
 Hazardous Materials Trading: Explosives (e.g., trinitrotoluene [TNT]; 2,4 dinitrotoluene [DNT]; 2,6 DNT; research
department eXplosive or royal demolition eXplosive [RDX]), toxic substances (e.g., liquid triazine pesticides, thioglycal,
thallium nitrate, carbon tetrachloride), infectious substances (e.g., biological cultures, medical wastes)
 Leather and Leather Products, Other than Tanning: Toluene, benzene
 Machinery Manufacturing: Metals (e.g., beryllium, lead, zinc), VOCs, dioxin, degreasing agents, solvents, waste oils
 Nonanimal Farming: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs); metals (arsenic, copper); carbon tetrachloride, ethylene
dibromide, and methylene chloride; pesticides; insecticides; herbicides; grain fumigants
 Paper and Paper Products: Dioxin including polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDD) and polychlorinated
dibenzofurans (PCDF),
Additional soil contaminants were identified for industries listed in the 2016 User Guide were added to the respective industry or
process in Annex A:
 Cement/concrete/lime manufacturing or batching: Arsenic
 Chemical manufacturing: Pharmaceutical: Arsenic
 Chemical manufacturing: Photography: Silver bromide, methylene chloride
 Electricity generation/power stations: Mercury
 Glass manufacturing: Arsenic, lead
 Metal smelting or refining: Cadmium
 Railway yards/marshalling yards and transport corridors: PCBs,
The potential trichloroethylene daughter products dichloroethylene, trans-1,2-dichloroethylene, and vinyl chloride were added to
the following industries where trichloroethylene was originally listed:
 Airports, airstrips, aerospace facilities
 Automotive repair, engine works, and spray painting
 Chemical manufacturing: Adhesive/resins, dyes/inks, fungicides, plastics, rubber processing
 Defense works and defense establishments
 Dry cleaning establishments
 Electrical substations/transformers
 Furniture restoration
 Mineral processing and extractive industries
 Printing shops
 Service stations and fuel storage facilities
 Tannery (and associated trades)
 Timber preserving/storage/saw mills, wood product manufacturing.
RTI also added specific industries where common soil contaminants had been identified during the reviews of Environmental
Impact Assessments or international best practice research for EAD:
 Aircraft decommissioning: Petroleum hydrocarbons from fuel, fuel oil, and diesel; organophosphate esters from
hydraulic fluids; alcohol diethylene glycol (DEG) from brake fluids; ethylene glycol from antifreeze fluids; mineral-based
non-chlorinated oils; depleted uranium from rudders
 Alumina refining: High pH (highly alkaline) bauxite residue with naturally occurring radioactive materials, iron,
aluminum
 Aluminum manufacturing (primary): Spent potliners with toxic and leachable fluoride and cyanide compounds,
reactive, flammable, explosive, corrosive, and toxic high pH wastes
 Aluminum manufacturing (secondary): Black dross and white dross. Black (dry) dross has low metal content with
high amounts of oxides and salts and is similar to sand. White (wet) dross with high metal content. Contact with water
produces hydrogen, methane, and ammonia gas.
Table A-1. List of Potentially Contaminating Industries, Activities, and Land Uses
Industries/Activities/Land
Uses Potential Contaminants Notes and Links
Abattoirs and animal  Nutrients (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus) Also refer to tannery (and
processing works  Biological oxygen demand associated trades)
 Total suspended solids
 Oil and grease
 Pesticides and metals (by-products of rendering)
Abrasive blasting  Metals (e.g., iron, lead) Dependent on material
 Tributyltin (boat yards/boat maintenance) being removed
Acid/alkali plant, formulation  Metals (e.g., mercury)

and bulk storage  Acids (e.g., hydrochloric, nitric, sulfuric sodium)
 Alkalis (e.g., sodium and calcium hydroxide)
Airports, airstrips, aerospace  Petroleum hydrocarbons Also refer to fire-
facilities  BTEX (i.e., benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and fighting/training (use of
xylenes) foams)
 Metals (e.g., aluminum, chromium, lead, magnesium)
 Solvents (e.g., trichloroethylene and potential daughter
products dichloroethylene, trans-1,2-dichloroethylene,
and vinyl chloride)
Aircraft decommissioning  Petroleum hydrocarbons from fuel, fuel oil, and diesel
 Organophosphate esters from hydraulic fluids
 DEG from brake fluids
 Ethylene glycol from antifreeze fluids
 Mineral-based non-chlorinated oils
 Depleted uranium from rudder
Alumina refining  High pH bauxite residue containing naturally occurring Bauxite residue disposition
radioactive materials, iron, aluminum in Abu Dhabi is “dry
stacking”, so soil and
groundwater contamination
are not likely with a lined
storage pile
https://link.springer.com/arti
cle/10.1007/s40831-016-
0060-x
Aluminum manufacturing  Spent potliner with leachable toxic fluoride and cyanide
(primary) compounds – corrosive, reactive with water, producing
flammable, toxic, and explosive gases.
Aluminum manufacturing Secondary aluminum industry produces black dross and https://www.thefreelibrary.c
(secondary) white dross. Black (dry) dross has low metal content with om/Don%27t+ignore+alumi
high amounts of oxides and salts and is granular-like in num+dross+regulations%3
form similar to sand. White (wet) dross has extremely high A+although+a+common+m
metal content with small amounts of oxides and salts and aterial...-a0278659558
forms large clumps or blocks. Contact with water produces
hydrogen, methane, and ammonia gas.
Analysts, analytical laboratory  Solvents (e.g., trichloroethylene)
sites (e.g., research,  Acids
commercial, mine site)
 Metals
Asbestos production or  Asbestos-Containing Material
disposal  Asbestos fibers
Asphalt or bitumen  Petroleum hydrocarbons
manufacture or bulk storage  BTEX (i.e., benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and
xylenes)
 Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
 Metals (e.g., chromium, lead)
Automotive repair, engine  Solvents (e.g., trichloroethylene and potential daughter
works and spray painting products dichloroethylene, trans-1,2-dichloroethylene,
and vinyl chloride)
 Petroleum hydrocarbons
 BTEX (i.e., benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and
xylenes), white spirit)
 Phenol
 Chlorofluorocarbons
 Metals (e.g., copper, chromium, lead, zinc)
 Alkalis
 Acids (e.g., sulfuric, phosphoric)
Battery manufacturing,  Metals (e.g., antimony, cadmium, cobalt, lead,
recycling, disposal manganese, nickel, mercury, silver, zinc)
 Acids (e.g., sulfuric, hydrochloric)
Beverages  Metals (e.g., chromium, cadmium, lead) http://www.thehindu.com/ne
 PCBs ws/national/lsquoSoft-drink-
plants-cause-chromium-
pollution/article16241046.e
ce
Biosolids application, muck  Nutrients (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus)
spreading, organic fertilizer  Metals (aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt,
application lead, nickel, potassium, zinc)
 Phenols
 Pathogens (e.g., E. coli, Enterococci)
Boat building and maintenance  Metals (e.g., copper, chromium, lead, mercury, zinc) Also refer to automotive
 Antifouling paints (e.g., organotin, tributyltin) repair
Brake lining manufacturer  Asbestos

 Copper
Brickworks  Metals (e.g., ammonium, arsenic, cadmium, mercury,
lead)
Cement/concrete/lime  Lime, calcium hydroxide, alkalis
manufacturing or batching*  Hydrocarbons
 Asbestos
 Metals (e.g., arsenic, nickel, zinc)
Cemeteries  Nitrates
 Heavy metals, lead
 Formaldehyde
 Biological hazards
Chemical Manufacturing, Blending, Mixing, Handling, or Storage
– Acid/alkali  Metals (e.g., mercury)
 Acids (sulfuric, hydrochloric, nitric)
 Sodium and calcium hydroxides
– Adhesive/resins  Polyvinyl acetate (e.g., adhesives)
 Phenol
 Formaldehyde (e.g., resins)
 Phthalate esters
 PCBs
and vinyl chloride)
– Dyes/inks  Metals (e.g., cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead, titanium,
zinc)
and vinyl chloride)
 Cresols
 Chlorinated hydrocarbons (e.g., 1,1,1-trichloroethane,
cis1, 2-dichloroethene)
– Fertilizers  Metals (e.g., boron, cadmium, cobalt, copper,
magnesium, molybdenum, zinc)
 Calcium phosphate, calcium sulfate, nitrates, ammonium
sulfate, carbonates, potassium
 Pentachlorophenol
– Flocculants  Aluminum
– Foam (e.g.,  Urethane

polyurethane)  Formaldehyde
 Styrene
– Fungicides  Metals (e.g., chromium, copper chloride/sulfate, zinc)
 Carbamates
 Organochlorine pesticides (e.g., pentachlorophenol)
 Chlorinated hydrocarbons (e.g., trichloroethylene and
potential daughter products dichloroethylene, trans-1,2-
dichloroethylene, and vinyl chloride)
– Herbicides  Ammonium thiocyanate
 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D
 Dioxins
 Herbicides (e.g., triazine, atrazine, 2-methyl-4-
chlorophenoxyacetic acid [MCPA], bipyridyls, sulfonyl
ureas, chlorophenoxys)
 Metals (e.g., arsenic, mercury)
– Paints  Metals (e.g., arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium,
cobalt, lead, manganese, mercury, selenium, titanium,
zinc)
 Boron
 Solvents (e.g., toluene, natural or synthetic oils)
 Resins
 Chlorinated hydrocarbons
 PCBs
– Pesticides  Metals (e.g., arsenic, lead, mercury, tin, chromium) Wide range of insecticides,
 Organochlorine pesticides herbicides and fungicides
 Organophosphate pesticides Herbicides derived from
 Carbamates trinitrotoluene may have the
impurity dioxin, which is
 Solvents (e.g., xylenes, kerosene)
highly toxic.
 PCBs http://ec.europa.eu/environ
ment/integration/research/n
 Synthetic pyrethroids ewsalert/pdf/IR5_en.pdf
 Acid herbicides
– Pharmaceutical  Solvents (e.g., acetone, ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, http://ec.europa.eu/environ
methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, butanol) ment/integration/research/n
 Carbamates ewsalert/pdf/IR5_en.pdf
 Metals (e.g., arsenic, selenium)
– Photography  Potassium bromide http://www.ehso.com/conta
 Metals (e.g., chromium, selenium, silver) minants.htm
 Thiocyanate
 Ammonium compounds
 Sulfur compounds
 Phosphate
 Ethanol
 Formaldehyde
 Silver bromide
 Methylene chloride
– Plastics  Metals (e.g., cadmium)
 Carbonates
 Chlorinated solvents (e.g., trichloroethylene and
dichloroethylene, and vinyl chloride); 1,1,1-
trichloroethane
 Styrene
 Sulfates
 Phthalate esters
 Chlorinated hydrocarbons (e.g.,
 PCBs
 Polybrominated diphenyl ethers
– Rubber processing  Metals (e.g., lead, zinc)
 Sulfur compounds
 Reactive monomers (e.g., isoprene, isobutylene)
 Acid (e.g., sulfuric, hydrochloric)
xylenes)
 Chlorinated solvents (e.g., trichloroethylene and
dichloroethylene, and vinyl chloride); cis 1,2-
dichloroethylene
 Carbon black
 Hexachlorobenzene
– Soap/detergents  Potassium compounds
 Phosphates
 Alcohols
 Esters
 Sodium hydroxide
 Surfactants
 Silicate compounds
 Acids (e.g., sulfuric, stearic)
 Oils
– Solvents  BTEX (i.e., benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and
xylenes)
 Chlorinated organics (e.g., carbon tetrachloride, 1,1,1-
trichloroethane); trichloroethylene (and degradation
products)
Chemical treatment/  As per substances being treated
destruction facilities  PCBs
 Dioxins (refer to Schedule B2 of the NEPM for specific
guidance on the occurrence of dioxins and guidance on
circumstances where analysis is recommended)
Compost manufacturing*  Nutrients (e.g., phosphorus, nitrogen compounds)
 Metals (e.g., aluminum, iron, potassium, zinc)
Dairy products  Nutrients (e.g., nitrogen compounds, phosphorus)
 Pathogens (e.g., E. coli)
Defense works and defense  Metals (e.g., aluminum, antimony, beryllium, copper, http://www.ehso.com/conta
establishments lead, mercury, silver) minants.htm
 Explosives (e.g., TNT; 2,4, DNT; 2,6 DNT; RDX)
and vinyl chloride)
Drilling  Drilling fluid additives Also refer to fire-fighting
training (use of foams)
Drum or tank re-conditioning or  Dependent upon contents of drums
recycling facility  Solvents (e.g., methylene chloride, ortho-
dichlorobenzene)
Dry cleaning establishments  Solvents/VOCs (e.g., perchloroethylene
(tetrachloroethylene),
 trichloroethylene and potential daughter products (1,1-
dichloroethylene, trans-1,2-dichloroethylene, and vinyl
chloride, ethane), 1,1,1-trichloroethane, carbon
tetrachloride)
Electrical  Metals (e.g., copper, lead, mercury, tin)
substations/transformers  PCBs
and vinyl chloride)
Electricity generation/power  Fly ash (can comprise sulfates, metals, total dissolved http://ec.europa.eu/environ
stations* solids, selenium) ment/integration/research/n
 Petroleum hydrocarbons ewsalert/pdf/IR5_en.pdf
 Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (e.g., tars,
benzo(a)pyrene)
 Asbestos
 PCBs
xylenes)
 Metals (e.g., copper, lead, mercury)
Electrical equipment  Beryllium https://water.usgs.gov/edu/
manufacturing  Mercury groundwater-
contaminants.html
 PCBs
Electronics manufacturing  Arsenic, cadmium http://ec.europa.eu/environ
 Trichloroethylene and potential daughter products ment/integration/research/n
dichloroethylene, trans-1,2-dichloroethylene, and vinyl ewsalert/pdf/IR5_en.pdf
chloride
Explosives production/bulk  Acids (e.g., acetone, nitric, ammonium nitrate, sulfuric)
storage pyrotechnics  Solvents (e.g., methanol, phencyclidine)
 Metals (e.g., aluminum, copper, lead, manganese,
mercury, silver)
 Explosives (e.g., TNT; 2,4 DNT; 2,6 DNT; RDX)
 Petroleum hydrocarbons (fuel)
 Hexachlorobenzene
Fertilizer manufacture or  Calcium phosphate, calcium sulfate, copper chloride Organic and synthetic
storage  Sulfur, sulfuric acid fertilizer compounds
 Metals (e.g., boron, cadmium, cobalt, copper,
magnesium, molybdenum, potassium, selenium)
 Nitrates
Fiberglass reinforced plastic  Solvents (e.g., trichloroethylene and potential daughter Also refer to chemical
manufacturing* products dichloroethylene, trans-1,2-dichloroethylene, manufacturing—fertilizers
and vinyl chloride)
 Resins
 Styrene
 Boron
Fill material/fill importation  Establish historical potentially contaminating land use,
industry, or activity of source site and consider naturally
occurring contaminants (e.g., asbestos)
Fire fighting and training (use  Solvents (e.g., glycol ethers)
of foams)  Surfactants (hydrocarbon and fluorinated)
 Fluorotelomers
 Perfluorochemicals (e.g., perfluorooctanesulfonic,
perfluorooctanoic acid)
 Boron
Food products  Wastewater (nitrogen, phosphorus, pathogens, http://www.unido.org/filead
pesticides) min/import/32129_25Polluti
onfromFoodProcessing.7.p
df
Foundry operations  Metals and chlorides/fluorides/sulfates of metals (e.g.,
iron, aluminum, cadmium, chromium and oxides, copper,
lead, magnesium, tin, nickel, zinc)
 Acids (e.g., sulfuric and phosphoric)
 Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (e.g., coke residues)
 Petroleum hydrocarbons (e.g., fuel oil)
Furniture restoration  Solvents (e.g., trichloroethylene and potential daughter
and vinyl chloride)
Furniture manufacturing  Solvents (e.g., trichloroethylene and potential daughter https://dnr.mo.gov/pubs/pub
products dichloroethylene, trans-1,2-dichloroethylene, 1183.pdf
and vinyl chloride)
 1,1,1-trichloroethane
 Toluene
Gasworks  Cyanide
 Nitrate
 Sulfide/sulfate
 Metals (e.g., aluminum, antimony, arsenic, barium,
cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, lead, manganese,
mercury, nickel, selenium, silver, vanadium, zinc)
 Boron
 Thiocyanates
 Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (e.g., creosote)
xylenes)
 Phenols
Glass manufacturing  Metals (e.g., arsenic, cobalt, lead) http://www.ehso.com/conta
minants.htm
Hazardous materials trading  Explosives (e.g., TNT; 2,4 DNT; 2,6 DNT; RDX) from EAD SOP Permitting
 Toxic substances (e.g., liquid triazine pesticides, of Traders of Hazardous
thioglycal, thallium nitrate, carbon tetrachloride) Materials
 Infectious substances (e.g., biological cultures, medical
wastes)
Iron and steel works  Metals (e.g., cadmium, chromium VI, cobalt, copper, http://ec.europa.eu/environ
lead, magnesium, manganese, nickel, selenium, zinc) ment/integration/research/n
 Acids (e.g., sulfuric, hydrochloric) ewsalert/pdf/IR5_en.pdf
 Mineral oils
xylenes)
 Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (e.g., coke residues)
Intensive agriculture*  Carbamates Also refer Gasworks
(including feedlots and  Organochlorine pesticides (e.g., endrin, methoxychlor,
saleyards) pentachlorophenol)
 Organophosphate pesticides
 Herbicides (e.g., triazine, atrazine, 2,4,5-T 2,4-D, MCPA,
picloram)
 Insecticides dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT),
dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, and
dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane; bifenthrin
 Aldrin and dieldrin
 Nitrates
 Salinity
 Metals (e.g., aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, copper, iron,
lead, magnesium, potassium)
 Nutrients (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus)
 Toxaphene
Landfill sites (and associated  Dependent on landfill type and waste disposed
activities)  PCBs
 Alkanes
 Sulfides
 Metals
 Asbestos
 Organic acids
 Nutrients (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus)
 Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (e.g., benzo(a)pyrene)
 Landfill gases (e.g., methane)
 Total dissolved solids
xylenes)
 Phenols
Leather and leather products,  Toluene http://www.ehso.com/conta
other than tanning  Benzene minants.htm
Livestock dips or spray races  Metals (e.g., arsenic)

 Carbamates
 Organochlorine pesticides
 Organophosphate pesticides
 Herbicides
 Synthetic pyrethroids
Machinery manufacturing  Metals (e.g., beryllium, lead, zinc) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.go
 VOCs v/pmc/articles/PMC411387
6/
 Dioxin
 Degreasing agents http://www.ehso.com/conta
minants.htm#SAxJUzOwdq
 Solvents
VdIkxR.99
 Waste oils
Market garden, orchards, poly-  Metals (e.g., aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, http://www.ehso.com/conta
tunnels, plant nurseries mercury, magnesium, iron) minants.htm#SAxJUzOwdq
 Organochlorine pesticides (e.g., DDT, dieldrin, VdIkxR.99
endosulfan)
 Organophosphate pesticides (e.g., azinphos ethyl,
diazinon, fenthion)
 Carbamates
 Petroleum hydrocarbon (fuel)
xylenes)
Metal finishing and treatments  Metals (e.g., aluminum, barium, cadmium, chromium,
(e.g., electroplating/carburizing copper, lead, nickel, tin, zinc)
baths)  Acids (e.g., sulfuric, hydrochloric, nitric, phosphoric)
 Paint residues
 Alkalis
 Solvents (e.g., 1,1,1-trichloroethane,
tetrachloroethylene)
 Plating salts
xylenes)
 Cyanide
Metal smelting or refining  Metals (e.g., aluminum, cadmium, copper, gold, lead, http://ec.europa.eu/environ
mercury, selenium, silver, tin) and their chlorides, ment/integration/research/n
fluorides, and oxides ewsalert/pdf/IR5_en.pdf
Mineral processing and  Acids, alkalis
extractive industries, including  TDS
mining, screening, crushing,
 Organic flocculants (e.g., sulfate, cyanide)
and tailing dams or storage
facilities but not voids where  Metals (e.g., aluminum, arsenic, chromium, cobalt,
no other potentially copper, iron, lead, manganese, mercury, zinc)
contaminating activity has  Petroleum hydrocarbon
occurred  BTEX (i.e., benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and
xylenes)
 Radioactive materials
 Asbestos
 Pesticides
and vinyl chloride)
 Caustic
Motor vehicle manufacture,  Petroleum hydrocarbons
workshops, facilities, race  BTEX (i.e., benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and
venues xylenes)
 Solvents (e.g., trichloroethylene and daughter products)
 Resins
 Heavy metals
Nonanimal farming  VOCs As in agriculture
 Metals (arsenic, copper) http://www.ehso.com/conta
 Carbon tetrachloride, ethylene dibromide, and minants.htm#SAxJUzOwdq
methylene chloride VdIkxR.99
 Pesticides, insecticides, herbicides
 Grain fumigants
Oil/gas exploration, production,  Oil/gas exploration, production, refining and storage*
refining, and storage. Includes (continued)
pipelines.  Petroleum hydrocarbon
xylenes)
 Acids (e.g., sulfuric)
 Alkalis
 Insulation lagging (e.g., asbestos)
 Metals should be determined through assessment of
deposit composition and known impurities (e.g., arsenic,
barium, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, mercury,
nickel)
 Methyl tertiary-butyl ether
 Cyanides
 Drilling fluid additives
Paper and paper products  Dioxin including PCDD and PCDF http://ec.europa.eu/environ
ment/integration/research/n
ewsalert/pdf/IR5_en.pdf
Pest control depots  Carbamates
 Organochlorine and organophosphate pesticides (e.g.,
diazinon)
 Herbicides (e.g., atrazine)
 Insecticides (e.g., fenamiphos)
 Fungicides
Printing shops  Also refer to photography
 Acids
 Alkalis
and vinyl chloride)
 Metals (e.g., chromium)
Port/wharf/dock activities  Metals (e.g., copper, tin, chromium, lead, mercury, zinc)
(including dredge spoil)  Antifouling paints (e.g., organotin, tributyltin)
xylenes)
Railway yards/marshalling  Petroleum hydrocarbons Additional contaminants
yards and transport corridors  BTEX (i.e., benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and according to what has been
Railway yards/marshalling xylenes) transported by rail
yards and transport  Phenolics (creosote) http://www.ehso.com/conta
 Metals (e.g., arsenic, cadmium, chromium, iron, lead, minants.htm
zinc)
 Nutrients (e.g., nitrates)
 Carbamates
 Organochlorine pesticides (e.g., pentachlorophenol)
 PCBs
 Organophosphates
 Herbicide, pesticides
 Asbestos
Recycling (building materials)  Asbestos
 Metals (e.g., lead, zinc)
Scrap metal recovery  Metals (e.g., cadmium, lead, magnesium)
 Solvents
 PCBs
 Oil and grease
xylenes)
Service stations and fuel  Petroleum hydrocarbons
storage facilities  BTEX (i.e., benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and
xylenes)
 Methyl tertiary-butyl ether and other oxygenates
 Metals (e.g., barium, cadmium, copper, lead, nickel,
zinc)
 Oil and grease
and vinyl chloride)
Sewage/wastewater treatment  Nutrients (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus)
plant  Metals (aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt,
lead, manganese, nickel, potassium, zinc)
 Phenols
 Pathogens (e.g., E. coli, Enterococci)
Tannery (and associated  Acids (e.g., hydrochloric)
trades)  Metals (e.g., aluminum, chromium, copper, manganese)
 Formaldehyde
 Phenols
 Salts
and vinyl chloride)
 Oil and grease
 Cyanide
Textile operations  Metals (e.g., aluminum, cadmium, chromium, titanium,
tin, zinc)
 Carbon
 Acid (e.g., sulfuric)
 Alkalis (e.g., caustic soda)
 Salts
 Solvents (e.g., perchloroethylene)
xylenes)
 Organochlorine pesticides (e.g., dieldrin, aldrin)
 Dyestuff residues
 Sodium hypochlorite
 Phenols
Timber preserving/storage/  Solvents (e.g., trichloroethylene and potential daughter
saw mills products dichloroethylene, trans-1,2-dichloroethylene,
Wood product manufacturing and vinyl chloride)
 Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (e.g., creosote,
naphthalene)
 Organochlorine pesticides (e.g., chlordane, endosulfan,
pentachlorophenol)
 Aldrin and dieldrin
 Metals (e.g., arsenic, copper, chromium VI, zinc)
 Boron
 Cresols
Annex B: Data Gathering Checklists for the Preliminary

Site Assessment and the Detailed Site Assessment
Table B-1. Data Gathering Checklist for the Preliminary Site Assessment
Note: The purpose of this checklist is to provide a complete list of information to be collected and steps to be taken during a
PSA. This checklist can help you track the information being collected for completeness.
The blue rows are section headers. Indicate whether a data-gathering task in each section has been completed with Yes, No, or
Partially in the boxes. If a data-gathering task is not applicable to the project, then add a check mark to the Not Applicable box.
This checklist is for your use and does not need to be submitted to EAD.
Data-Gathering Status
(indicate Yes, No, or Partially in the boxes)
Is Data
Historical Future Not Collection
Data Gathering Task Current Ownership Ownership Situation Applicable Complete?
Site Identification and
Ownership
Current legal description
(property description, including
the lot number if the site is in
an industrial zone)
Address (street name and
number)
Map showing the lot
boundaries in relation to
significant features (e.g., street
access, neighboring property
boundaries, coastline)
Alternative names for the site,
if applicable
Current certificate of title
Current owners, operators, or
persons responsible for
activities at the site
Is Data
Land Use and Physical
Features (Current and
Proposed)
Maps of current and possible
future land uses and zoning
(e.g., mixed-use commercial,
educational, industrial,
residential), including the
following:
 Density of residential use
(e.g., high or low; single-
family or multifamily
residences)
 Types of site users (e.g.,
laborers, adults only, adults
and children)
 Planning approval(s) for
proposed use and date(s)
of approvals
Is Data
Map, plans, or diagrams and a
narrative description of the
site’s key physical features,
including buildings, structures,
infrastructure, receptors, and
land cover. This information
should include the following:
 Distances from the
contaminant source(s) to all
nearby areas where
receptors may reside (e.g.,
agricultural area, nature
reserve, residential areas,
coastline)
 On-site structures that may
be sources of
contamination (e.g., tanks,
reaction vessels, piping,
basins, other industrial
process equipment)
 Subsurface features (e.g.,
pipes, drains, conduits) that
may serve as preferential
flow pathways for
contaminant liquids and
vapors
 Current land cover (e.g.,
paved areas, dirt roads,
waste piles, vegetation)
 Habitat type (e.g., intertidal;
coastal plains, sand sheets
and low dunes; coastal
sabkha including Sabkha
Matti)
A description of the building
design features (e.g., the
foundations, floor material
within buildings [e.g., tile,
linoleum, carpet, dirt], any
asbestos-containing material)
An indication of whether any
buildings and infrastructure
are currently in use or
decommissioned
Past locations and
characteristics of buildings and
infrastructure that have been
removed
Evidence of ongoing or past
excavations, including a
description of the surface
cover (e.g., paved areas, dirt
roads, vegetation)
Is Data
Site History
Previous owners or operators,
including the following:
 Historical titles, back to the
original deeds
 Name of each historical
owner, operator, or other
person(s) responsible for
the site, organized
chronologically
 Historical maps and ground
and aerial photographs (if
available)
 Historical land-use zoning
 Historical geological maps
 Previous enforcement
actions regarding the
environment
 Historical or ongoing
remediation actions
Potentially contaminating
activities onsite and at
adjacent sites such as the
following:
 For industrial operations,
include detailed
descriptions of the process
operations, inputs (e.g.,
raw materials),
intermediate products, final
products, and emissions
(e.g., air emissions, effluent
discharges, waste
generation, including
hazardous and non-
hazardous); see Annex A
for a list of contaminants
from various industries,
activities, and land uses
Chemical and hazardous
materials, including the
following:
 Storage areas
 Transfer areas and
handling practices
 Inventory of materials (by
internationally accepted
names [United Nations
chemical identifiers], trade
names, common names)
Is Data
On-site power generation,
including
 Fuel storage and disposal
of ash
 Presence of transformers
 Insulation materials
containing asbestos (if
applicable)
Inventory of known spills,
incidents, accidents, and
cleanup events
Waste storage and disposal
locations and size, including
the following:
 Dumpsites
 Lagoons
 Settling ponds
 Sumps
 Soak wells
Imported fill, including
 Type (clean, derived from
waste products)
 Location of placement
Earthmoving activities, with
respect to the possibility that
these activities may have
redistributed and buried the
contamination (EAD, 2016)
Location, elevation, and size
of services, including sewers,
stormwater drains, outfall
pipes, and underground
utilities
Environmental Setting
Topography and its
significance to the direction of
shallow groundwater flow,
surface water drainage, and
inferred depth to the water
table
Surficial geology, including soil
type, texture, structure, bulk
density, porosity, organic
matter content, cation
exchange capacity, pH, redox
potential, permeability,
stratigraphy, and the
significance of potential
preferential pathways for, and
barriers to, groundwater flow
Is Data
Hydrology and hydrogeology,
including groundwater
boundaries
Groundwater characteristics,
including aquifer types,
direction, and flow rate
Regional and site-specific soil
and geological records,
including bedrock geology,
depth to bedrock, and bedrock
type and structure
Geophysical data (bathymetry,
magnetics, gravity)
Drilling logs that clearly
identify imported and locally
derived fill, including refuse,
and natural strata
Well logs, including strata,
casing or construction details,
and water level, quality, and
pump discharge rate
information
Climatic and seasonal data,
including precipitation rates,
air temperature, prevailing
wind speeds, and direction
Site Inspection
The layout of the site and
current uses of the site
Current uses of the
surrounding property
Overall condition of the site’s
housekeeping practices (e.g.,
well-maintained, dirty,
abandoned, derelict)
Condition of buildings,
concrete and bitumen floors
and roads, and other related
information
Building construction (slab-on-
ground or other, presence or
absence of crawl spaces and
basements)
Interior floor drains, sumps,
trenches, and other drains
Exterior drainage structures,
such as catch basins and dry
wells
Is Data
Signs of potential spills, leaks,
and releases that may be in
the form of
 Disturbed, colored, or
stained soil
 Bare soil patches
 Disturbed or distressed
vegetation
 Unusual odor
 Quality of surface water (if
present)
 Sheens on surface water (if
present)
Evidence of off-site migration
Potential exposure pathways
and receptors
Presence and type of
groundwater wells on the site
and adjacent landholdings
Condition of groundwater well
headworks
Groundwater (water table or
piezometric) levels (through
measurements)
Means of heating (fuel type)
and cooling buildings on the
site
Presence or absence of
bonded asbestos-containing
materials on the ground
surface
Anomalous topographic
features, such as depressions,
fill areas, and subsidence
Presence of stockpiles,
containment areas, fill, sumps,
drains, and waste disposal
areas (operational and closed)
Evidence of cut-and-fill
activities
Wastewater disposal practices
Presence of pits, ponds, and
lagoons
Fill or vent pipes or former
evidence of them
Is Data
Presence and condition of
chemical containers, holding
tanks, bunds, or other related
items
Underground structures that
may be associated with sub-
surface contamination
Condition of materials storage
and handling facilities and any
solid or liquid waste disposal
areas
 Raw material handling and
storage
 Hazardous materials and
chemicals
 Storage tanks and
containers
 Waste disposal areas
Any other possible sources of
environmental concern or
unexplained site features
Constraints to site access for
sampling
Conceptual site model
Identify the known sources of
contamination
Identify the potential sources
of contamination
Identify the known COCs
Identify the potential COCs
Identify known affected media
(soil, sediment, groundwater,
surface water, indoor air,
outdoor air)
Identify the human receptors
Identify the ecological
receptors
Identify complete exposure
pathways
Identify partially complete
exposure pathways
Identify data quality for all data
related to sources, receptors,
and pathways
Identify data gaps for all data
related to sources, receptors,
and pathways
Is Data
Conduct the Initial Risk
Screening
Refine the list of areas of
concern at the site or near the
site when off-site migration
may be suspected
For each area of concern, list
the known and potential:
 COCs
 Receptors
 Exposure pathways
If sampling was conducted,
 Include sampling results
 Compare the results with
the soil screening
guidelines values
 Indicate which
contaminants exceed the
guideline values
Prepare the Preliminary Site
Assessment Report
Include all sections as
indicated in the reporting
requirements in Section V of
this TGD
Include supplementary
information as attachments
Include all data in approved
EDD formats.
Table B-2. Data-Gathering Checklist for the DSA

Note: The purpose of this checklist is to provide in one place a complete list of information that needs to be collected and steps
that need to be conducted during a DSA. This checklist can help you track the information being collected for completeness.
The blue rows are section headers. Indicate whether a data-gathering task in each section has been completed with Yes, No, or
Partially in the boxes. If a data-gathering task is not applicable to the project, then write N/A for Not Applicable in the respective
box.
This checklist is for your use and does not need to be submitted to EAD.
Data-Gathering Task Complete? Comments

Prepare for Field Sampling
Design the Sampling and Analysis Plan, including
 The sampling approach used
 The unique identifying information of the sample locations
 Justification for the number of samples to be collected
 The type of equipment to be used
 The sampling depth to be used
 The volumes to be collected
 The sample handling and transfer procedures
 The laboratory to be used
 Descriptions of laboratory analyses (e.g., name the laboratory, the
methods and instruments used, the method detection limits)
 Sampling cleanup and equipment decontamination procedures
Conduct Field Sampling
Collect the required number of samples
Maintain the field log during sampling
Fill out the Chain-of-Custody Forms
If extra soil is collected, properly dispose of it
Decontaminate equipment
Develop a comprehensive sample analysis inventory
Refine the Conceptual Site Model
Include the following information:
 Timing, amounts, durations, locations, and mechanisms for
potential releases to determine the appropriate locations and
depths for soil, soil vapor, sediment, surface water, or
groundwater sample collection
 Substances that may have been released to determine the
appropriate COCs and the analyses required to quantify the
concentrations
 Contaminant fate and transport characteristics and migration
pathways to determine where the contaminants are most likely to
be detected and how chemical or physical changes may have
altered contaminants or their distribution over time.
Data-Gathering Task Complete? Comments

Conduct the Detailed Risk Assessment
Table of contaminant concentrations measured in soil (surface and at
depth) and other media assessed (groundwater, soil gas surface
water/sediment, indoor air); EDD for submittal to ET
Exposure pathways investigated, whether and why they are complete
or not, and the affected media (e.g., the vapor intrusion pathway
typically involves soil, groundwater, sub-slab and deep soil gas, and
indoor air)
Risk-based SLs developed and selected for each complete exposure
pathway.
Indicate source (this can be the soil contaminant SL guidelines
[Appendix A in EAD, 2016)] or more site-specific SLs), and selection
rationale (e.g., why site-specific values are proposed).
Table comparing media concentrations against selected SLs by
exposure pathway, indicating which media and pathways exceed SLs,
which receptors are affected, and which are driving risks.
Initial recommendations on further investigation or action(s) with
rationale.
EDD = electronic data deliverable; ET = Environmental Theatre
Annex C: Example Soil Sampling Densities

Table C-1. Example Sample Densities for Hot Spot Sampling
Recommended Sampling Sampling Density Hotspot Diameter that Can Be
Site Area (ha) Points (No) (points/ha) Detected with 95% Confidence (m)
0.05 5 100 11.8
0.1 6 60 15.2
0.2 7 35 19.9
0.3 9 30 21.5
0.4 11 27.5 22.5
0.5 13 26.6 23.1
0.6 15 25 23.6
0.7 17 24.3 23.9
0.8 19 23.8 24.2
0.9 20 22.2 25
1.0 21 21 25.7
1.5 25 16.7 28.9
2.0 30 25 30.5
2.5 35 14 31.5
3.0 40 13.3 32.4
3.5 45 12.9 32.9
4.0 50 12.5 33.4
4.5 52 11.6 34.6
5.0 55 11 35.6
Source: EAD (2016); NZMfE (2011)
Ha = hectare; m = meter.
Table C-2. Example Sample Densities for Stockpile Sampling

Stockpile Volume (m3) Number of Samples Sample Density (Volume/Number of Samples)
<75 3 25
100 4 25
125 5 25
150 6 25
175 7 25
200 8 25
>200 9 25
Source: Based on EAD [2016]
m = meter.
Document Change History
Revision Page
Document Number Number Revision Date Revision Description Number Approved by
EAD-EQ-PR-TG-10 00 March 2018 First Issue Secretary General
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Sorbent: A substance capable of adsorbing or absorbing liquids or gases.

Section II. Legal Framework

Table 1. Summary of regulatory instruments related to soil contamination assessment

Section III. Soil Contamination Site Assessment Process

Existing site Contaminants of

COCs likely present

Monitoring results acceptable

Table 2. Descriptions of steps in figure 1 to address contaminated sites

Section IV. PSA Process

IV.1 Desktop Review

Site Identification and Ownership

Site Use and Physical Features (Current and Proposed)

IV.2 Site Inspection

Key Terminology: Conceptual Site Model for Contaminated Soil Sites

1. Source of contamination, in this case a contaminated soil body at a site

Available background information on

Information on current, past, and

Known and potential sources of

Human and ecological receptors

Potential and complete exposure

Figure 3. Schematic of the major components in a conceptual site model

Table 3. Typical exposure pathways at a contaminated soil site

Table 3. Typical exposure pathways at a contaminated soil site (continued)

IV.5 Initial Risk Screening

Preliminary Site Assessment (PSA)—Reporting and Next Steps

Section V. PSA Report

Table 4. Standard table of contents for the PSA report

V.1 Chapter 1—Executive Summary

V.1.1 Site Description and Statement of Requirements

V.1.2 Summary of Findings

V.2 Chapter 2—Introduction

V.2.1 Site Location

V.2.2 Proponent Information

V.2.3 PSA Investigators

V.2.4 Statement of Requirement

V.3 Chapter 3—Legal Framework

V.4 Chapter 4—Site Investigation

V.4.1 Desktop Review and Site Inspection

Facility Characteristics (current and historical)

Pollutant Information (list and describe, current and historical)

V.4.3 Opportunistic Sampling

V.5 Chapter 5—Initial Risk Screening

V.5.1 Summary of Findings and Assessment of Risks

 A CSM diagram and description including

Potential Human Receptors

Surface water Volatilization Outdoor air Inhalation

Leaching Groundwater Volatilization Indoor air Inhalation

V.5.2 Data Gaps and Uncertainties

V.5.3 Discussion and Conclusions

PSA Report Annexes

Annexes can be reordered and additional annexes can be added as needed.

Section VI. DSA Process

The DSA process includes

VI.1 Sampling Plan

VI.1.1 General Information

VI.1.2 Sample Locations: Pattern and Density

Table 5. Examples of soil sampling patterns and approaches

Sampling Approach Applicability and Limitations Image