Contaminated land contains substances that are causing or could cause:
- significant harm to people, property or protected species
- significant pollution of lakes, rivers or groundwater
- harm to people from radiation
Some land in the UK - often call brownfield sites - has been contaminated in the past by:
- gasworks
- tanneries
- chemical works
- landfill sites
There are also areas with high levels of naturally-occurring substances like arsenic that also count as contaminated land.
Brownfield sites can be a problem because:
- there may be harmful substances in, on or under the land
- water pollution might be caused by substances at the site
