Soil quality - Procedure for site-specific ecological risk assessment of soil contamination (soil quality TRIAD approach) (ISO 19204:2017)

ISO 19204:2017 describes in a general way the application of the soil quality TRIAD approach for the site-specific ecological risk assessment of contaminated soils. In detail, it presents in a transparent way three lines of evidence (chemistry, ecotoxicology and ecology) which together allow an efficient, ecologically robust but also practical risk assessment of contaminated soils. This procedure can also be applicable to other stress factors, such as acidification, soil compaction, salinization, loss of soil organic substance, and erosion. However, so far, no experience has been gained with these other applications. Therefore, this document focuses on soils contaminated by chemicals.
NOTE 1       This document focuses on ecological risk assessment. Thus, it does not cover human health end points.
In view of the nature of this document, the investigation procedure is described on a general level. It does not contain details of technical procedures for the actual assessment. However, this document includes references relating to technical standards (e.g. ISO 15799, ISO 17616) which are useful for the actual performance of the three lines of evidence.
In ecological risk assessment, the effects of soil contamination on the ecosystem are related to the intended land use and the requirements that this use sets for properly functioning soil. This document describes the basic steps relating to a coherent tool for a site-specific risk assessment with opportunities to work out site-specific details.
ISO 19204:2017 can also be used for the evaluation of clean-up operations, remediation processes or management measures (i.e. for the evaluation of the environmental quality after having performed such actions).
NOTE 2       This document starts when it has already been decided that an ecological risk assessment at a given site needs to be performed. In other words, the practical performance of the soil quality TRIAD and the evaluation of the individual test results will be described. Thus, nothing will be said about decisions whether (and if yes, how) the results of the assessment are included in soil management measures or not.
NOTE 3       The TRIAD approach can be used for different parts of the environment, but this document focuses mostly on the soil compartment. Comparable documents for other environmental compartments are intended to be prepared in addition (e.g. the terrestrial aboveground compartment) in order to perform a complete site assessment, based on the same principles and processes.

Bodenbeschaffenheit - Vorgehensweise zur standortbezogenen ökologischen Risikobewertung von Bodenverunreinigungen (TRIAD-Ansatz zur Bewertung der Bodenbeschaffenheit) (ISO 19204:2017)

Dieses Dokument beschreibt die generelle Anwendung des TRIAD-Ansatzes zur Bodenbeschaffenheit zur standortbezogenen ökologischen Risikobewertung von verunreinigten Böden. Es stellt ausführlich die drei Beweislinien (Chemie, Ökotoxikologie und Ökologie) dar, die gemeinsam eine effiziente, ökologisch robuste, jedoch zugleich praktikable Risikobewertung von verunreinigten Böden ermöglichen. Diese Verfahrensweise kann auch auf andere Stressfaktoren, wie z. B. Versauerung, Bodenverdichtung, Versalzung, Verlust an organischer Bodensubstanz und Erosion, anwendbar sein. Bisher gibt es jedoch noch keine Erfahrungen bezüglich dieser anderen Anwendungen. Deshalb liegt der Schwerpunkt dieses Dokuments auf durch Chemikalien verunreinigten Böden.
ANMERKUNG 1   Dieses Dokument ist auf die ökologische Risikobewertung ausgerichtet. Es beinhaltet daher keine Endpunkte zur menschlichen Gesundheit.
In Anbetracht des Charakters dieses Dokuments wird das Untersuchungsverfahren allgemein beschrieben. Es enthält keine Einzelheiten von technischen Verfahrensweisen für die tatsächliche Bewertung. Dieses Dokument schließt jedoch Verweise auf technische Normen (z. B. ISO 15799, ISO 17616) ein, die für die tatsächliche Durchführung der drei Beweislinien nützlich sind.
Bei der ökologischen Risikobewertung stehen die Auswirkungen von Bodenverunreinigungen auf das Ökosystem in Verbindung mit der vorgesehenen Landnutzung und den Anforderungen, die diese Nutzung in Bezug auf einen funktionstüchtigen Boden stellt. In diesem Dokument werden die grundlegenden Schritte eines in sich geschlossenen Instruments für eine standortbezogene Risikobewertung und Möglichkeiten zur Anwendung standortspezifischer Anpassung beschrieben.
Dieses Dokument kann auch zur Bewertung von Sanierungs  oder Bewirtschaftungsmaßnahmen angewendet werden (d. h. für die Beurteilung der Umweltqualität nach Durchführung solcher Maßnahmen).
ANMERKUNG 2   Die Anwendung dieses Dokument setzt ein, wenn bereits entschieden wurde, dass an einem bestimmten Standort eine ökologische Risikobewertung durchzuführen ist. Mit anderen Worten: Die praktische Durchführung des TRIAD zur Bewertung der Bodenbeschaffenheit und die Auswertung der einzelnen Untersuchungsergebnisse werden beschrieben. Somit erfolgt keine Aussage zu Entscheidungen, ob (und wenn ja, wie) die Ergebnisse der Bewertung in Bodenbewirtschaftungsmaßnahmen einfließen oder nicht.
ANMERKUNG 3   Der TRIAD Ansatz kann auf verschiedene Teile der Umwelt (Umweltkompartimente) angewendet werden, das Hauptaugenmerk des vorliegenden Dokuments liegt jedoch vornehmlich auf dem Kompartiment Boden. Die Erstellung vergleichbarer Dokumente auch für andere Umweltkompartimente (z. B. das terrestrische oberirdische Kompartiment) ist beabsichtigt, um eine vollständige Standortbewertung auf der Grundlage der hier beschriebenen Prinzipien und Prozesse durchzuführen.

Qualité du sol - Procédure d'évaluation des risques écologiques spécifiques au site de la contamination des sols (approche TRIADE de la qualité du sol) (ISO 19204:2017)

ISO 19204:2017 décrit, de manière générale, l'application de l'approche TRIADE de la qualité du sol pour l'évaluation des risques écologiques spécifiques aux sites et sols contaminés. En particulier, il présente de façon transparente trois éléments de preuve (chimie, écotoxicologie et écologie) qui permettent ensemble une évaluation efficace, écologiquement robuste, mais également pratique, des risques des sols contaminés. Cette procédure peut également s'appliquer à d'autres facteurs de stress, tels que l'acidification, le tassement des sols, la salinisation, la baisse de la matière organique des sols et l'érosion. Toutefois, aucune expérience n'a été acquise jusqu'à présent sur ces autres applications. Par conséquent, le présent document se concentre sur les sols contaminés par des produits chimiques.
NOTE 1       Le présent document se concentre sur l'évaluation des risques écologiques. Par conséquent, il ne couvre pas les effets sur la santé humaine.
Compte tenu de la nature du présent document, la procédure d'investigation est décrite de façon générale. Elle ne contient pas les détails des procédures techniques en vue d'une réelle évaluation. Toutefois, le présent document contient des références renvoyant à des normes techniques (par exemple ISO 15799, ISO 17616) qui sont utiles pour la réalisation des trois éléments de preuve.
Dans le cadre de l'évaluation des risques écologiques, les effets de la contamination des sols sur l'écosystème sont liés à l'usage prévu des sols et aux exigences définies par cet usage pour un fonctionnement approprié des sols. Le présent document décrit les étapes de base relatives à un outil cohérent d'évaluation des risques spécifiques au site offrant la possibilité d'étudier des détails spécifiques au site.
ISO 19204:2017 peut également être utilisé pour l'évaluation des mesures de dépollution, de remédiation ou de gestion (c'est-à-dire pour l'évaluation de la qualité environnementale après avoir mis en ?uvre de telles actions).
NOTE 2       Le présent document débute lorsqu'il a déjà été décidé qu'une évaluation des risques écologiques doit être effectuée au niveau d'un site donné. En d'autres termes, la réalisation pratique de la TRIADE de la qualité du sol et l'évaluation des résultats d'essais individuels seront décrites. Ainsi, les décisions d'inclure ou non les résultats de l'évaluation dans les mesures de gestion des sols (et si oui, la manière de le faire) ne seront pas abordées.
NOTE 3       L'approche TRIADE peut être utilisée pour différentes parties de l'environnement, mais le présent document concerne essentiellement le compartiment des sols. Il est prévu d'élaborer aussi des documents comparables pour les autres compartiments de l'environnement (par exemple le compartiment terrestre en surface) afin de réaliser une évaluation complète du site, en se basant sur les mêmes principes et processus.

Kakovost tal - Postopek za oceno ekološkega tveganja onesnaženosti tal za posamezno lokacijo (pristop TRIAD za kakovost tal)

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SLOVENSKI STANDARD
oSIST prEN ISO 19204:2022
01-julij-2022
Kakovost tal - Postopek za oceno ekološkega tveganja onesnaženosti tal za
posamezno lokacijo (pristop TRIAD za kakovost tal)

Soil quality - Procedure for site-specific ecological risk assessment of soil contamination

(soil quality TRIAD approach) (ISO 19204:2017)

Qualité du sol - Procédure d'évaluation des risques écologiques spécifiques au site de la

contamination des sols (approche TRIADE de la qualité du sol) (ISO 19204:2017)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN ISO 19204
ICS:
13.080.01 Kakovost tal in pedologija na Soil quality and pedology in
splošno general
oSIST prEN ISO 19204:2022 en,fr,de

2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

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oSIST prEN ISO 19204:2022
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oSIST prEN ISO 19204:2022
INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 19204
First edition
2017-02
Soil quality — Procedure for site-
specific ecological risk assessment of
soil contamination (soil quality TRIAD
approach)
Qualité du sol — Procédure d’évaluation des risques écologiques
spécifiques au site de la contamination des sols (approche TRIADE de
la qualité du sol)
Reference number
ISO 19204:2017(E)
ISO 2017
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oSIST prEN ISO 19204:2022
ISO 19204:2017(E)
COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT
© ISO 2017, Published in Switzerland

All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form

or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior

written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of

the requester.
ISO copyright office
Ch. de Blandonnet 8 • CP 401
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva, Switzerland
Tel. +41 22 749 01 11
Fax +41 22 749 09 47
copyright@iso.org
www.iso.org
ii © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved
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oSIST prEN ISO 19204:2022
ISO 19204:2017(E)
Contents Page

Foreword ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................iv

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................v

1 Scope ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1

2 Normative references ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 1

3 Terms and definitions ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 1

4 Process overview .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 6

5 Uncertainty and weight of evidence ................................................................................................................................................. 7

6 Soil quality TRIAD performance .......................................................................................................................................................... 7

6.1 First step: Objective of the investigation (formulating the problem and decision

regarding the need of a site-specific risk assessment) ......................................................................................... 7

6.1.1 General approach ............................................................................................................................................................ 7

6.1.2 Decision ................................................................................................................................................................................... 8

6.1.3 Stakeholders involved in an ecological risk assessment ............................................................... 8

6.1.4 Independent quality control .................................................................................................................................. 9

6.2 Second step: Basic considerations ......................................................................................................................................... 9

6.2.1 General approach ............................................................................................................................................................ 9

6.2.2 Assessment criteria ....................................................................................................................................................10

6.3 Third step: Practical performance of the soil quality TRIAD .......................................................................11

6.3.1 General...................................................................................................................................................................................11

6.3.2 Soil quality TRIAD tiers ...........................................................................................................................................11

6.3.3 Soil quality TRIAD lines of evidence ............................................................................................................12

6.3.4 Measurement parameters .....................................................................................................................................15

6.4 Fourth step: Assessments at the different tiers: scaling, weighting and

integrating results .............................................................................................................................................................................16

6.4.1 General...................................................................................................................................................................................16

6.4.2 Quantification of results from terrestrial tests ...................................................................................16

6.4.3 Scaling in practise ........................................................................................................................................................16

6.4.4 Weighting ............................................................................................................................................................................17

6.4.5 Integration of results .................................................................................................................................................17

6.5 Fifth step: Decision on how to proceed ..........................................................................................................................18

7 Reporting ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................18

Annex A (informative) Bioindicators of effect and accumulation — Additional tools for site-

specific ecological risk assessment ................................................................................................................................................20

Bibliography .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................21

© ISO 2017 – All rights reserved iii
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oSIST prEN ISO 19204:2022
ISO 19204:2017(E)
Foreword

ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards

bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out

through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical

committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International

organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.

ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of

electrotechnical standardization.

The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are

described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the

different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the

editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www .iso .org/ directives).

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of

patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of

any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or

on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www .iso .org/ patents).

Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not

constitute an endorsement.

For an explanation on the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity assessment,

as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the

Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: www . i so .org/ iso/ foreword .html.

The committee responsible for this document is ISO/TC 190, Soil quality, Subcommittee SC 7, Soil and

site assessment.
iv © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved
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oSIST prEN ISO 19204:2022
ISO 19204:2017(E)
Introduction

This document is set up to ensure the quality of the site-specific ecological risk assessment of soil

contamination. This process was described previously in a report by the Dutch PGBO (Integrated

Soil Research Programme Agency), continued in the current SKB (Foundation for Soil Knowledge

[69]

Development and Transfer) . The present document is based on these Dutch reports but has

been shortened in order to increase its general applicability. In addition, parts of the ecological risk

[21][22][23]

assessment framework for contaminants in soil prepared by the British Environment Agency

[24][25][26][27]

were considered (this tiered framework does use the same three Lines of Evidence (LoE)

[29][30][68]

as the TRIAD but not in parallel but consecutively). Experiences from various other sources ,

[36]

in particular, a summary of a Danish study performed as part of the EU FP6 project Liberation , as

[35]
well as a Danish report , were added.
[10]

The term TRIAD relates to the following three LoE’s: chemistry, toxicology and ecology . Originally, it

[38]

was described as Sediment Quality TRIAD by Long and Chapman . The TRIAD does not particularly

[11]

consist of three lines of evidence (up to five have been proposed ) but in specific situations, two

might be sufficient. Descriptions of the soil quality TRIAD approach in the context of soil contamination

are given, for example, in References [36], [40], [55], [59], [60], [63], [69], [71] and [73]. It should be

mentioned that the soil quality TRIAD is not only used in Central Europe but also in other regions of the

[1] [67] [44]

world, for example, in Portugal , Italy or Brazil . These publications can be used as case studies

for the application of the soil quality TRIAD.

NOTE Recently, the ecological risk assessment procedures in The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the

[35]

United Kingdom were compared . The basic ideas of the TRIAD approach [e.g. a tiered approach and the

combination of information from different disciplines (chemistry, ecotoxicology, and ecology)] have been

[21][22][23][24][25][26][27] [40]

accepted in these countries. However, only in the United Kingdom and The Netherlands

[43][53][58][60][61][63]

have detailed frameworks been developed. The overall structure of this document combines

and modifies both national frameworks in order to provide guidance independently from the country or region

where the site to be assessed is located. The terminology of this document does follow the approach described in

[36]
the EU project Liberation .
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oSIST prEN ISO 19204:2022
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 19204:2017(E)
Soil quality — Procedure for site-specific ecological risk
assessment of soil contamination (soil quality TRIAD
approach)
1 Scope

This document describes in a general way the application of the soil quality TRIAD approach for the

site-specific ecological risk assessment of contaminated soils. In detail, it presents in a transparent

way three lines of evidence (chemistry, ecotoxicology and ecology) which together allow an efficient,

ecologically robust but also practical risk assessment of contaminated soils. This procedure can also be

applicable to other stress factors, such as acidification, soil compaction, salinization, loss of soil organic

substance, and erosion. However, so far, no experience has been gained with these other applications.

Therefore, this document focuses on soils contaminated by chemicals.

NOTE 1 This document focuses on ecological risk assessment. Thus, it does not cover human health end points.

In view of the nature of this document, the investigation procedure is described on a general level. It

does not contain details of technical procedures for the actual assessment. However, this document

includes references relating to technical standards (e.g. ISO 15799, ISO 17616) which are useful for the

actual performance of the three lines of evidence.

In ecological risk assessment, the effects of soil contamination on the ecosystem are related to the

intended land use and the requirements that this use sets for properly functioning soil. This document

describes the basic steps relating to a coherent tool for a site-specific risk assessment with opportunities

to work out site-specific details.

This document can also be used for the evaluation of clean-up operations, remediation processes or

management measures (i.e. for the evaluation of the environmental quality after having performed

such actions).

NOTE 2 This document starts when it has already been decided that an ecological risk assessment at a given

site needs to be performed. In other words, the practical performance of the soil quality TRIAD and the evaluation

of the individual test results will be described. Thus, nothing will be said about decisions whether (and if yes,

how) the results of the assessment are included in soil management measures or not.

NOTE 3 The TRIAD approach can be used for different parts of the environment, but this document focuses

mostly on the soil compartment. Comparable documents for other environmental compartments are intended

to be prepared in addition (e.g. the terrestrial aboveground compartment) in order to perform a complete site

assessment, based on the same principles and processes.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.

ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:

— IEC Electropedia: available at http:// www .electropedia .org/
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http:// www .iso .org/ obp
© ISO 2017 – All rights reserved 1
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3.1
stakeholder

person or party with an interest in the soil quality (3.21) of a potentially contaminated site

Note 1 to entry: The composition of the stakeholder group depends on the specific local conditions.

3.2
assessment criteria

criteria set up to decide if a site requires further investigation or other action (e.g. remediation)

Note 1 to entry: They can be drawn up by the competent authority (3.3), the stakeholders (3.1) and the investigators

for the interpretation of the results of the soil quality TRIAD study before the investigation is carried out. Two

criteria could be distinguished, namely:

a) threshold that marks the boundary between adequate and inadequate removal of uncertainties in the

assessment;

b) threshold that marks the boundary between an effect that is considered acceptable and one that is not

considered acceptable, based on a reference or a limit value.

Note 2 to entry: Assessment criteria are necessary for every collection of ecological conditions (for example, all

species in a generic system, a key species or a protected species).
3.3
competent authority

part of the authorities that is responsible for the implementation of the soil clean-up operation

Note 1 to entry: Depending on the site and the country, the competent authority could be very different. The

competent authority assesses investigation results and takes decisions via decrees about the severity and

urgency of the soil contamination found. The competent authority also assesses the clean-up plans of the clean-

up teams on their own initiative (for example, companies).
3.4
soil management

all the anthropogenic activities that influence the soil system at the site to be assessed

Note 1 to entry: This can include choices in land use (3.5) (e.g. groundwater level management, nature

management, park management, loading with soil-contaminated substances).
3.5
land use
using the ecosystem services (3.8) that the soil provides
3.6
land user

person or group of people who uses the ecosystem services (3.8) of the soil, whereby in the role allocation,

the larger spatial scales are generally represented by organizations, societal parties and authorities

3.7
ecological effect

change to an aspect of the ecosystem caused by anthropogenic stress factors (3.15)

Note 1 to entry: Changes [see also assessment criteria (3.2)] to an ecosystem as a result of the presence of

contaminants are regarded as negative changes regardless of the direction. In this document, the three lines of

evidence (LoE) in accordance with the soil quality TRIAD approach are required for the effect to be determined.

In addition, the variation in space, time and parameters is also important. See also type 1 error (3.17).

2 © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved
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ISO 19204:2017(E)
3.8
ecosystem service
service that is (directly or indirectly) provided by an ecosystem

Note 1 to entry: The Ecosystem Service Approach is becoming more and more the theoretical basis for the

definition of protection goals in the context of the risks of chemicals in the environment (e.g. EFSA 2012),

including the risk assessment of contaminated soils (e.g. [2], [41], and [74]).

Note 2 to entry: Examples of ecosystem services that the soil provides to people are agricultural products, clean

surface water, groundwater and drinking water, and a healthy environment in which to live. The provision of

many of these services depends in many cases on the activity of diverse organism communities, e.g. degradation

[75]
of contaminants in soil by microbes, meaning that groundwater is kept clean .

Note 3 to entry: Some soil functions (organic substance composition and degradation, natural self-cleaning

ability of the soil and soil structure for a good rooting of vegetation and crops) are counted as ecosystem services

in this context. In detail, four basic soil services are distinguished, namely, soil fertility, resistance to stress

[41]

and adaptation, the soil as a buffer and reactor, and biodiversity. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

distinguishes at ecosystem level regulating services (regulation of ecosystem processes), provisioning services

(products), cultural services (non-material benefits) and support services (for the provision of all the other

ecosystem services).
3.9
generic assessment

assessment of a site using a general investigation method that is not geared to the properties of the site

3.10
site-specific assessment

assessment of a site using an investigation method that is partially geared to the properties of the site

Note 1 to entry: The assessment consists of a combination of generally applicable and possibly specifically

developed (tailor-made) parts. The interpretation of the results of the investigation is site-specific and can be

generalized only to a limited extent [see also generic assessment (3.9)].
3.11
site-specific model

description of the local ecosystem and of the intended land use (3.5) in terms of ecological conditions

for this use, and of the nature and spread of the contamination

Note 1 to entry: This model makes it clear which exposure routes are relevant for aspects of the ecosystem that

are needed for the land use (3.5). Suitable parameters can then be selected for the soil quality TRIAD study with

[70]
optimum weight of evidence (3.20) and support .
3.12
uncertainty

degree of doubt about the assumptions or investigation results, to be broken down in the case of the

assessment of the ecological risks of soil contamination into: communications uncertainty, model

uncertainty (epistemic uncertainty), uncertainty because of variation and uncertainty in decision-making

Note 1 to entry: For the different types of uncertainty, see also Clause 5.
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3.13
reference

part of a site, of a sample or of a group of literature data that acts as a benchmark for the effect scale

(the baseline, measure or standard)

Note 1 to entry: It is a description of the condition of the soil in quantitative and qualitative terms that can be used

as part of the measure for the soil quality (3.21) to be assessed. The ideal reference is identical to the site (or the

sample) to be assessed, the only difference being that the stress factor (3.15) to be assessed is missing. Chemical,

physical and biological aspects form partial aspects of the reference. For a site-specific application, site-specific

details are needed to obtain an accurate reference. A reference is preferably chosen at the investigation site;

measurements are then preferably taken at the same time as the samples/measurements to be assessed. If no

comparable clean reference is available, the least contaminated sample can also be chosen (for example, in a

gradient), on condition that the sample is regarded as being sufficiently representative to be used as a reference. A

reference can also be based on samples of a comparable site elsewhere or on literature data (= virtual reference).

3.14
scaling

process in which measurement or model data are interpreted using a measure intended for this purpose

Note 1 to entry: When applying the soil quality TRIAD (3.16), assessment data are generated to ascertain an effect

on the level of the ecosystem as quantitatively as possible. A practical, standardized scale runs from 0 to 1 or

from 0 % to 100 %. 0 or 0 % represents no effect and 1 or 100 % represent the maximum theoretical effect

at a high concentration of the contaminating substances. Sometimes, only a low level of quantitative scaling is

possible, such as on an ordinary scale or on a 2 or 3 point scale (yes/no or yes/maybe/no). These low quantitative

scaling methods can be used in a weight-of-evidence (WOE) (3.20) approach. Examples of scaling are given in, e.g.

Reference [40].
3.15
stress factor

outcome of an anthropogenic activity that has a possible negative effect on the ecosystem, such as

chemical soil contamination, overfertilization, desiccation or soil compaction
3.16
soil quality TRIAD

procedure for a site-specific ecological risk assessment, whereby the weight of evidence (WOE) (3.20) is

made up of three independent lines of evidence (LoE):

1) a line of evidence based on environmental chemistry with data about concentrations of toxic

substances being converted into the expected effect on the ecosystem,

2) a line of evidence based on measurements of the ecotoxicity in samples of the site with tests, and

3) a line of evidence based on observations of the ecosystem at the site that focus on demonstrating

the effects caused by the contamination

Note 1 to entry: The total of these elements is more than the sum of the separate parts because the burden of

proof is partly based on consistency between the elements.

Note 2 to entry: Descriptions of the approach of the soil quality TRIAD study applied to soil contamination are

given in References [36], [40], [59], [60] and [63], among other places. For the choice of tests, see also ISO 17616.

3.17
type 1 error
judgment that unjustly concludes that there is an unacceptable effect

Note 1 to entry: The term comes from statistics. If there is a type 1 error, the assessment is based not on an actual

unacceptable effect but on chance or a model error. The risk of a type 1 error occurring can be reduced by making

more observations or by improving the model with the ecological aspects and indicators. This latter option can

be achieved by choosing improved conditions and investigation parameters.
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3.18
type 2 error
judgment that unjustly concludes that there is no unacceptable effect

Note 1 to entry: The term comes from statistics. If there is a type 2 error, there is actually an unacceptable effect,

but this effect has not been demonstrated because of insufficient or incorrect investigation efforts (too few

observations, unsuitable reference(s) or model errors).
3.19
weighting

rating various investigation results transparently, with equal or different weight being given to the

information concerned

Note 1 to entry: A simple starting position is to give equal weight to the results of the various assessment

parameters. This can be deviated from to devote attention to specific ecological conditions [protected species,

key species, processes, ecosystem services (3.8)], to relatively reliable parameters, or to special test results

(giving weight to observations that show a great effect or giving extra weight to measurements of bioavailable

concentrations).
3.20
weight of evidence
WOE

weight of evidence of the soil quality TRIAD study which can be used as the basis for taking decisions

responsibly

Note 1 to entry: In this document, WOE is meant above all in the methodological sense, with all available data

obtained from various lines of evidence-taking being involved in the final conclusion, possibly on the basis of

quantitative weighting. Background information about scaling (3.14), weighting (3.19) and WOE can be found in

References [12], [16], [40], [53], [67], and [72].

Note 2 to entry: With a set budget for the soil quality TRIAD study, the WOE needs to be optimized across

investigation parameters and sample intensity. The assessment criteria (3.2) per parameter and the acceptable

statistical error margin [type 1 error (3.17)] is chosen such that the WOE and acceptance of possible results of the

investigation by the stakeholders (3.1) are maximized.
3.21
soil quality

all current positive or negative properties with regard to soil utilization and soil functions

Note 1 to entry: This definition includes all anthropogenic as well as natural properties, including services

provided by organisms.
3.22
screening value

soil value which, if exceeded, indicates an assumed potential effect on soil biological structure and

function
3.23
retention function

ability of soils/soil materials to adsorb pollutants in such a way that they cannot be mobilized via the

water pathway and translocated into the food chain

Note 1 to entry: The habitat and retention functions include the following soil functions according to ISO 11074:

— control of substance and energy cycles as components of ecosystems;
— basis for the life of plants, animals and man;
— carrier of genetic reservoir;
— basis for the production of agricultural products;

— buffer inhibiting movement of water, contaminants or other agents into the groundwater.

© ISO 2017 – All rights reserved 5
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oSIST prEN ISO 19204:2022
ISO 19204:2017(E)
4 Process overview

The main five steps of performing a soil quality TRIAD according to this document are summarized in

Figure 1. Only the performance of the soil quality TRIAD itself (= execution phase in Reference [43]) is

described.

The method is based on the decision whether and how soil quality shall be assessed at a specific site

[21][22]

(Step I) (also called the phase of the development of a Conceptual Site Model (CSM) . In case

this decision is positive, the three lines of evidence, here abbreviated as chemistry, ecotoxicology and

ecology, will be performed (Steps II to IV). Based on an integrat
...

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