A Synoptic Review of the Technical Tips and Methodologies for the Development of Ecological Soil Screening Benchmarks
构建土壤生态筛选基准的技术关键及方法学概述

Ecological soil screening benchmarks are concentrations of contaminants in soil, which if exceeded may trigger further risk assessment or environmental management. This paper reviews the progress of ecological soil screening benchmarks with a particular emphasis on the methodologies and technical tips for the development of risk-based ecological soil screening benchmarks. The basic step-wise process for developing soil screening benchmarks includes gathering data, selecting a subset of suitable data, estimating effects-based threshold, and determining final screening values. Currently, there are three main extrapolation methods, the distribution-based method, the assessment factor method and the equilibrium partitioning method. Critical issues for developing ecological soil screening benchmarks in China are proposed and discussed.