Some of our projects :
Risk assessment
In addition to the risk assessments which we carry out regularly in the context of the Walloon soil decree and from time to time abroad, we have also worked on:
- Assessment of risks associated with dyes and derivatives of dyes identified in soils and groundwater of a brownfield in the region of Mons (Belgium)
- Support in optimising sediment management: characterisation of the risks to human health and the environment associated with different scenarios for the use of mud resulting from flushing and dredging work in the Hennuyères region (Belgium)
- Assessment of the health risks associated with the dust potentially generated during blasting and vehicle movements in a quarry in the Namur region, in the context of an Environmental Impact Assessment
- Assessment of the ecotoxicological risks associated with the presence of rare earths in a phosphogypsum deposit on a Natura2000 site, in the context of an Environmental Impact Assessment
- Characterisation of the ecotoxicological risks associated with deposits of ash from the burning of tyres in a Natura2000 protected area in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and establishment of the best alternative techniques for managing these
- Development of remediation objectives in the context of the construction of a hospital complex in the Liège region (Belgium)
- Development of freshwater Environmental Quality Standards (EQS) for emerging substances identified in ground- and surface waters in Wallonia (Belgium)
- Synthesis of the environmental and toxicological properties of the main metabolites of four pesticides and proposal of thresholds for groundwater intended for human consumption in Wallonia (Belgium)
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Advice & external opinions
In addition to providing advice on the use of excavated earth in the context of construction sites and assistance in interpreting data in terms of risks to health and the environment, we have also worked on :
- Technical assistance for the definition and set up of contractual conditions for the takeover of activities on an operating site located in the region of Charleroi (Belgium)
- Human health risk advices concerning a series of pollutants identified in soils from an industrial site (former textile manufacturer company) of the Democratic Republic of Congo
- For a bureau of architects, in the framework of a brownfield (former filling-station) redevelopment project located in the region of Arlon : Review and optimization of the remediation plan
- Drafting of a critical opinion on soil sampling and development of a statistical approach for a municipality in the Namur region
- Statistical processing of the analytical results related to drinking water, groundwater, surface water and effluents from public sewage treatment plants acquired by SWDE within the framework of the IMHOTEP project
- Assistance to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Environment Department comprising :
- Preparation of a draft law on soil protection and the management of polluted sites (in collaboration with VEGTER Advies)
- Various support tasks in defining the reference technical framework of the future Luxembourg law (regulatory values, risk assessment methods, databases of polluted sites, etc.)
- Drafting of the Code of Good Practice for Risk Assessment (2015 version) for Brussels Environment (IBGE) (in collaboration with VITO-Flandre)
- Assistance to the Walloon Soil Protection Department (SPW-DGO3): drafting of the Reference Guide for Risk Assessment (« Guide de Référence pour l’Etude de Risques – GRER”) with a view to the performance of risk assessments in the context of the Walloon soil decree (in collaboration with VITO-Flandre, BRGM-France, CEAEQ-Quebec and GEOLYS)
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Development
In addition to regular dossiers on research on reference toxicological and ecotoxicological values applicable to different emerging pollutants and compounds where no (soil/water quality) standards exist, we have also worked on :
- Exploration of the tools Visual Sample Plan (VSP) and Spatial Analysis and Decision Assistance (SADA) for the optimisation of sampling programmes in heterogeneous and very heterogeneous polluted areas in the context of implementation of the Walloon soil decree (in collaboration with the University of Louvain UCL and the consulting company Haskoning)
- Proposal for revision of the indicators relating to the management of polluted soils (local pollution) used in the context of reports on the state of the environment in Wallonia (Belgium)
- Inventory of tools for assessment of the biological quality of soils and their use in the context of policy on the management and/or protection of soils in Wallonia (Belgium) (in collaboration with the University of Liège - Ulg)
- Analysis of the benefits, potential and limitations of the ecotoxicological risk assessment tool, TerraSysTM, from the perspective of assessment of the biological quality of soils in Wallonia (Belgium)
- Development of an updated matrix of “(potentially) polluting activities – pollutant ” and a table cross-referencing the list of activities with an environmental permit with that of the Walloon soil decree, with a view to populating the database on the state of soils in the Walloon region (in collaboration with the Institute for Consultancy and Studies in Sustainable Development - ICEDD)
- Support to the European project IBRACS (Integrating Bioavailability in Risk Assessment of Contaminated Soils – Snowman Network) in relation to the integration of bioavailability into risk assessment procedures
- Establishment of factsheets on pollutants for the 'Division de l'Eau' in the framework of ground- and surface waters monitorings in Wallonia (Belgium)
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