Contaminated land in the United Kingdom is now defined as: “Land which appears to be in such a condition to the authorities because of the presence of substances in, on or under the ground which: Significant damage is caused. , or there is a significant possibility that significant harm will be caused, or Pollution of controlled waters is or is likely to be caused.” (Environment Act 1995) Why is contaminated land a concern? Contaminated land is a cause for concern if it poses a threat to the environment or if it poses risks to land users. These lands are considered likely to carry environmental liabilities, which are also of concern to landowners due to their financial and legal implications. Financial liabilities include the reduction in land value or the implication of financing sanitation. As contamination can take various forms, it can therefore be exerted in various ways. Depending on the concentration and nature of the substances present, damage may be caused to human health, plants, wildlife, crops, properties or ecological systems as a whole. Damage to human health can be caused in a variety of ways and impacts can range from skin and respiratory irritation to cancer, birth defects and even death. Exposure to contaminants can occur in a variety of situations. Polluted dust can be inhaled, both on the construction site and around the construction site. Young children can directly consume soil if they play in contaminated areas. Other routes of exposure are skin contact, ingestion of vegetables that have absorbed contaminants or to which contaminated soil is attached, inhalation of volatile contaminants and asphyxiating gases. Pollution of rivers, groundwater, lakes and ponds can occur by leaching of contaminants out of the soil into waterways through natural soil drainage. This in turn can affect aquatic plant and animal life and contaminate human drinking water. Some contaminants may also pose a fire or explosion hazard or be corrosive and attack building materials or services. Why remediate contaminated land? Contaminated lands are generally remediated to address environmental risks, risks to site users, as well as financial and legal aspects. passive. Additionally, as pressure mounts on our countryside to develop new industries, businesses and housing, there is a growing trend to build on existing sites in order to preserve greenfield sites for future generations. Some of these existing sites could be contaminated. The government has set a housing target for 60% of all new homes to be built on existing brownfield land to preserve our countryside..