Development of soil screening levels for contaminated sites assessment in Beijing

The Risk Based Corrective Action (RBCA) Tool Kit for Chemical Releases was used to develop Soil Screening Levels (SSLs) for contaminated sites assessment in Beijing. A total 88 contaminants, including inorganic compounds, volatile organic compounds, semi-volatile organic compounds, pesticides, polybrominated biphenyls and others, were identified as the priority compounds of concern, and a range of exposure parameters, toxicological data and site factors based on the environmental monitoring data from several contaminated sites in Beijing, were used as model inputs to derive SSLs. The proposed SSLs were evaluated and validated by comparing with corresponding values in some other countries/regions. The present study has an important guiding significance for the development of risk-based SSLs in other provinces/cities of China.