Directions for Guidance Values in the Assessment of Polluted Soils. Country/Territory Sweden Document type Miscellaneous Date 2009 Source FAO, FAOLEX Subject Environment gen., Land & soil, Water Keyword Pollution control Environmental standards Standards Protection of environment Soil pollution/quality Freshwater pollution Geographical area Arctic, Europe, Europe and Central Asia, European Union Countries, North Atlantic, North Sea, North-East Atlantic, Northern Europe Abstract These Directions seek to provide guidance and a standard model for the assessment of polluted areas in Sweden, in which the pollution of the soil is such that post-treatment is required. In order to assess whether there is a need for a post-treatment and to what extent such a treatment is required, a risk assessment is made. The structure of the model as well as the methodology and data is used to calculate the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency's general guidance values. Guidance values are one of several tools in a risk assessment. In a simplified risk assessment, measured levels in the area are compared with general or site-specific guidance values for contaminated soil. Guide values in the context of after-treatment indicate the pollution content in the soil below which the risk of negative effects on humans, the environment or natural resources is normally acceptable. Exceeding the guideline values does not necessarily mean that negative effects occur. The general guide values for contaminated also take into account of spread of pollutants to air, groundwater and plants. They are not legally binding values. Full text English Website www.naturvardsverket.se