Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants, which were banned several decades ago but still exist in the environment, posing a threat to human health. Previously, joint sealants containing PCBs were used in construction. In this study, the long-term PCB-contaminated soils were from a residential area in Västerås Municipality, where the PCBs have been leaching from buildings to the soil for several years. The objective of this thesis is to investigate the feasibility of using plants to remove PCBs from the contaminated soil at a greenhouse scale, and to use a site-specific guideline model for the risk assessment of this contaminated site. After a literature review, four plant species were selected for the greenhouse cultivation including alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), white clover (Trifolium repens L.), horseradish (Armoracia rusticana L.) and tobacco (Nicotiana tobacum L.). The plants cultivated in the greenhouse were maintained for 92 days and then the concentrations of PCBs in the initial and remediated soils were analyzed by GC-MS. The results indicate that the selected plant species can enhance the removal of high chlorinated PCBs from soils. In the risk assessment, the contents of PCBs in soils were higher than the calculated site-specific guideline, which means it is urgent to implement measures for protecting residents’ health.

<p>Risk assessment is made to determine risks with contaminated areas and to determine which treatment the area requires. In Sweden, risk assessment is divided into three levels: risk analysis, facilitated risk assessment and detailed risk assessment. In detailed risk assessment site-specific guideline values are developed to compare with values of contaminants that are measured in the area.</p><p>Site-specific guideline values vary with geological and hydrogeological parameters. The purpose of this report is to examine which of these parameters that affect the guideline values. The examination was done using a calculating program for consideration from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency from the year of 1997. The study shows that some of the geological and hydrogeological parameters affect the site-specific guideline values for metals in different ways and others do not.  </p><p>Using the program from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency is a simple way to calculate site-specific guideline values. It’s important to make sure that relevant values are chosen to get correct results. The calculating program is still not definitive so it’s important to be careful when using it.</p><p>Another purpose of the report is to compare how guideline values have developed from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency’s model for calculating guideline values from the year of 1997 with their new report whit the same purpose from the year of 2007. Guideline values for all metals that have been considered are lower in the new model from the year of 2007 compared to the model from the year of 1997.</p>

Risk assessment is made to determine risks with contaminated areas and to determine which treatment the area requires. In Sweden, risk assessment is divided into three levels: risk analysis, facilitated risk assessment and detailed risk assessment. In detailed risk assessment site-specific guideline values are developed to compare with values of contaminants that are measured in the area. Site-specific guideline values vary with geological and hydrogeological parameters. The purpose of this report is to examine which of these parameters that affect the guideline values. The examination was done using a calculating program for consideration from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency from the year of 1997. The study shows that some of the geological and hydrogeological parameters affect the site-specific guideline values for metals in different ways and others do not.   Using the program from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency is a simple way to calculate site-specific guideline values. It’s important to make sure that relevant values are chosen to get correct results. The calculating program is still not definitive so it’s important to be careful when using it. Another purpose of the report is to compare how guideline values have developed from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency’s model for calculating guideline values from the year of 1997 with their new report whit the same purpose from the year of 2007. Guideline values for all metals that have been considered are lower in the new model from the year of 2007 compared to the model from the year of 1997.