Events

Urban residential soils are rarely investigated unless a property has a history of activities listed on New Zealand’s Hazardous Activities and Industries List (HAIL). As a result, potential exposure to contaminants in ordinary residential backyards remains poorly understood. While contaminated land assessments often focus on known or suspected sources, emerging research suggests elevated contaminant concentrations may occur in residential environments with no recognised history of hazardous activities.

This webinar will present the findings of original research examining arsenic and lead concentrations and bioaccessibility in more than 170 urban residential soil samples collected from non-HAIL properties across six regions of New Zealand. The study explores contaminant variability, the influence of fine soil particles on exposure, and whether total metal concentrations accurately reflect potential human health risk.

In this webinar, our speaker will explore:

• Arsenic and lead concentrations in urban residential soils from non-HAIL properties.
• The variability of contaminant concentrations across residential environments.
• How bioaccessibility influences exposure assessment and risk characterisation.
• The role of fine soil particles in driving potential human exposure.
• Whether total metal concentrations provide an accurate indication of health risk.
• Implications for contaminated land investigations and risk assessment practice.

The presentation will also examine how these findings align with New Zealand’s contaminated land framework, including the National Environmental Standard for Assessing and Managing Contaminants in Soil to Protect Human Health (NESCS) and the Hazardous Activities and Industries List (HAIL).

Practical examples and research findings will illustrate how contaminant variability and bioaccessibility can influence risk assessments and what this may mean for future contaminated land investigation and management approaches.

This webinar will be particularly valuable for contaminated land consultants, regulators, local authorities, environmental scientists, and researchers. A live Q&A will follow, and the session will be recorded.