Concepedia

Abstract

A concerted action initiative on risk assessment for contaminated sites (CARACAS, 1996 ‐ 1998) was funded by the European Commission under the Environment and Climate Programme and coordinated by the German Umweltbundesamt. A major outcome of CARACAS has been the publication of two books. The first (Ferguson et al. 1998) covers the scientific basis for risk assessment. The second (Ferguson & Kasamas 1999) provides authoritative and detailed reviews on policy and practice in the 16 European countries contributing to the CARACAS programme: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom. This paper summarises policy and practice in those 16 countries.