ABSTRACT
The CCME (Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment) “soil quality criteria” were implemented initially in 1991 and have been applied extensively in the investigation and remediation of contaminated sites since then. In 1996, after several years of discussion across Canadian jurisdictions, the CCME released a national protocol for the development of ecologically based and human health-based soil quality guidelines. Guidelines developed using this protocol were intended to replace the 1991 criteria with scientifically defensible values (CCME, 1996). Canadian Soil Quality Guidelines are currently based on protection of four major uses of land in Canada: agricultural, residential/parkland, commercial, and industrial. Table 13.1 shows ecological receptors and exposure pathways considered important for each land use. This chapter addresses only the interpretation of ecological data, and further information on human health protection can be found in CCME (1996).
