Environment Agency Updates Soil Test Policy

Ashtead Technology Rentals reports a rapid rise in rentals of their portable contaminated land assessment instruments following a recent amendment to Environment Agency policy. The qualification requirements for chemical test data on contaminated soils now acknowledges that portable measuring instruments can both improve the quality of contaminated land assessment and reduce costs.

Ashtead General Manager James Carlyle welcomed the policy update adding "Laboratory tests can be expensive which tends to minimise the number of samples sent for analysis, thereby rendering the data less representative. In addition, results may not become available for some time which can result in costly delays.

Portable instruments facilitate contamination assessment at multiple points so that ?hot spots' can be quickly identified and results are available immediately so that decisions can be made without delay.
The most popular instruments are X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) instruments for metals contamination and PID gas detectors for the assessment of hydrocarbon pollution. We maintain high stocking levels of these instruments so that they are fully tested and ready to go at a moment's notice."