REVISION OF THE DUTCH BUILDING MATERIALS DECREE: ALTERNATIVE EMISSION LIMIT VALUES FOR INORGANIC COMPONENTS IN GRANULAR BUILDING MATERIALS

This presentation shows how new emission limit values for inorganic components in stony and earthy building materials were derived for the revision of the Building Materials Decree in the Netherlands. Three key factors determine the emission limit value: (1) the environmental compartment under consideration with its dimensions, (2) the desired level of environmental protection and (3) the scenario applying to the intended use of the construction material. Emission limit values have been derived here from modeled concentrations in soil, groundwater and surface water. Two models were used for the vertical reactive transport through the soil profile and for retardation of components in the soil profile. The PEARL model was used for binding described by a linear distribution coefficient approach (Kd). The ORCHESTRA modeling framework was used for modeling binding that takes speciation and surface complexation into account. For surface water, a dilution factor was computed assuming a certain mixing zone, dependent on the size of the surface water. The consequences of the proposed alternative emission limit values have been estimated on the basis of information in a database containing results of leaching tests for construction materials. The alternatives proposed form the basis for a political decision-making process, where environmental protection was balanced with other socio-economic concerns.