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5B b - RA: Site specific (WEP/206) ERA-MANIA project: development of a Ecological Risk Assessment methodology and application to contaminated mega-sites of national interest. Critto, Andrea1, Carlon, Claudio2, Quercia, Francesca3, Marcomini, Antonio1, 1 University Ca' Foscari of Venice, Venice, Italy2 Consorzio Venezia Ricerche, Marghera-Venice, Italy3 Agenzia Nazionale per la Protezione Ambientale, Rome, Italy ABSTRACT- There is the need to develop and apply procedures for the Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) of large contaminated sites (so called mega-sites). Guidelines for ERA were recently proposed for regulatory compliance in Italy (ANPA, 2002). These guidelines are applied to the contaminated mega-site of ACNA, located in Cengio (Nord-West of Italy), which was identified by the Ministry of the Environment as a site of national interest. Several investigations were already undertaken, or are in progress, to gain suitable information on the chemical and ecotoxicological characterisation of the site. Major goal of this project is to integrate the existing research activities into a coordinated programme concerning the methodological, procedural and practical aspects required by the application of the ecological risk assessment to the mega-site of concern. Major results expected from the project are: estimation of soil screening values based on function-specific approach, including the end-use of soil and the implementation of bioaccumulation models; estimation of ecological risk indexes provided by the application of TRIAD approach (RIVM, 2000); definition of a suitable monitoring plan for the mega-site of concern (ACNA, Cengio), based on relevant ecological values to be protected and measurable parameters/indicators, both resulting from the applied ERA procedure. Key words: ecological risk assessment, contaminated mega-sites |
