Land quality

Land is an important resource with great demand for development and re-use. Land that has previously been used may be contaminated potentially posing a risk to future users.

Health risks

Land contamination can only harm health if the contaminants can get into the body. This may be by inhaling gases, eating soil (particularly in children) or contaminated food or water, or from skin contact with polluted material.
 
In Wales, the risk of this happening is controlled, and reduced, by the planning regime, or or The Contaminated Land (Wales) Regulations 2000 and The Contaminated Land Statutory Guidance for Wales 2012.

Our risks

In Wales, only local authority (LA) environmental health teams and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) can assess whether land is contaminated. Public Health Wales does not have any direct role in land investigations.

Public Health Wales can help to decide whether contamination may be harmful to health. We do this by interpreting results of investigations carried out by LAs or NRW.

Public Health Wales cannot comment on the methods used in a site assessment; only the regulators, so LAs or NRW, can assure, validate, and verify these.

If you have concerns regarding land contamination, your local authority will be able to help.

Additional guidance on contaminated land in residential settings is available from the GOV.UK website.