A Review of Arsenic Soil Contamination Guidelines and Bioavailability Assessment in Australia and New Zealand

Abstract

The objective of this study is to provide companies and consultancies who work within arsenic contaminated soils in Australia and New Zealand a data base of soil contamination arsenic guidelines and bioavailability assessment they can utilise during their work and make it more efficient to work in different states and regions. This study also includes data of Australia and New Zealand’s soil, climate, and rainfall for comparison of similarities and differences. Contaminated land management is based on understanding what soil contaminant concentration is safe for people, what concentration they can be exposed to and not be a subject to any harm. Arsenic regulatory limits in soil contamination vary between different international jurisdictions, as countries or states as maximum limits may use different analytical techniques to measure the pollutant, considering the chemical concentration data specific to that jurisdiction and because of individual legislative framework and risk policies. Traditional-narrative literature review was used as the research method for this study. A literature review search was made to find information on arsenic bioavailability including soil characteristics in Australia and New Zealand and how to test bioavailability. Guidelines of arsenic bioavailability was collected in a table form for systemised and easy access data. The study performed a comparative analysis on Australia and New Zealand’s characteristics focused on soil types, climate, and rainfall to find differences and similarities between the qualities and arsenic bioavailability.