Soil contamination in China: Current priorities, defining background levels and standards for heavy metals

The Chinese Government is working to establish an effective framework in managing soil contamination. Heavy metal contamination is key to the discussion about soil quality, health and remediation in China. Soil heavy metal contamination in China is briefly reviewed and the concepts of background values and standards discussed. The importance of contaminated land and its management for China food security and urbanization are discussed. Priorities for China's next steps in developing an effective research and management regime are presented. We propose that critically important to the science-based risk assessment of contaminants in soils is the incorporation of speciation and bioavailability into the measurement and evaluation criteria. Consideration of soil biology/ecological endpoints will be necessary to protect ecosystem health. National and regional/local scenarios of land use type/usage will address residential/urban re-use of industrial land as well as varying agricultural scenarios.