School in Ferrara, contaminated soil found

Preliminary investigations carried out by the Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione Ambientale Emilia Romagna (ARPAE) in spring 2023 revealed traces of pollutants in the soil at the proposed site for the new ‘Manzoni’ school building in Ferrara, Italy. The soil samples identified as potentially contaminated with arsenic and zinc will require excavation and removal of the pollutants, followed by site restoration, new sampling, and assessment of the underlying water table. The procedure was established during the ARPAE conference, which also delineated the protocol for conducting excavations to remove pollutants. This included the stipulation that the operations be conducted with requisite precautions to mitigate the generation and dispersal of dust. After the conclusion of the excavation, a new services conference will be convened to review the completed work. Furthermore, it will be necessary to rule out the presence of tanks containing hydrocarbons in the thermal power plant area. The origins of the pollution, which appears to be limited in its extent, could be traced back to the utilisation of the area as an orchard, and the associated chemical treatments.