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CONTAMINATED LAND FAQs

What is CLEA?

CLEA is a set of tools made by the EA that aim to help quantify (put numerical value to) the extent of land contamination, and there fore its impact on humans.

The site is judged on a "fit for use" basis.

A site which is intended for commercial use, has less stringent targets under CLEA than a residential site. This is based on exposure of individuals, at a work place such as an office, or factory people do not often com in to contact with the soils, as they are isolated via the building fabric. However, at residential properties there are

What are the limitations of CLEA?

The CLEA project and tools:

• don't cover other types of risk to humans, such as fire, suffocation or explosion, or short-term and acute exposures
• don't cover risks to the environment, such as groundwater, ecosystems or buildings
• don't provide a definitive test for telling when human health risks are significant
• aren't a legal requirement in assessing land contamination risks. They are not part of the legal regime for Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990

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