Land

The Industrial Revolution's dark satanic mills gave rise to quite considerable contamination from industrial waste products. There are an estimated 325,000 to over 400,000 potentially contaminated sites across the UK, covering approximately 20,000 to 300,000 hectares.
With the recent dramatic decline in traditional heavy industries there are significant areas of so-called "brownfield' land now available for re-development in many cities. Many urban areas have thousands of abandoned and potentially contaminated properties.

Part 2a of the Environmental Protection Act of 1990 mandates a risk-based approach to identifying and remediating land posing significant risks to human health or the environment. This regime, introduced in 2000, covers historical contamination, with enforcement handled by local authorities and the Environment Agency, often targeting "polluter pays" principles.

Concerns regarding contaminated land regimes were a primary reason the UK blocked the EU Soil Framework Directive in 2007, alongside issues of cost, bureaucracy, and national sovereignty. More

Contaminated land is a widespread phenomenon throughout the industrialised world. Government response varies, being influenced by local pressures and the ability of the parties responsible, to pay for the clean-up process. There are literally thousands of chemicals and substances that can be found associated with contaminated land.