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Dutch standards
Introduction
Dutch Standards are environmental pollutant reference values used in environmental remediation, investigation and cleanup.[1] [2]
The reference values for soil are adjusted for the organic matter (humus) content and soil fraction < 0.2 µm (lutum – Latin, meaning “mud” or “clay”). The values below are calculated for a ‘Standard Soil’ with 10% organic matter and 25% lutum.
The reference values for groundwater depend on the depth of the sample, the values below are for ‘shallow’ groundwater, 0 – 10 m depth.
A case of environmental contamination is defined as ‘serious’ if >25 m³ soil or >100 m³ groundwater is contaminated above the intervention value.
| Parameter | Soil (mg/kg dry matter) | Groundwater (µg/l) | ||
| Â | reference value | intervention value | reference value | intervention value |
| I metals | Â | Â | Â | Â |
| cadmium (Cd) | 0.8 | 12 | 0.4 | 6 |
| chromium (Cr) | 100.0 | 380 | 1 | 30 |
| copper (Cu) | 36.0 | 190 | 15 | 75 |
| nickel (Ni) | 35.0 | 210 | 15 | 75 |
| lead (Pb) | 85.0 | 530 | 15 | 75 |
| zinc (Zn) | 140 | 720 | 65 | 800 |
| mercury (Hg) | 0.3 | 10.0 | 0.05 | 0.3 |
| arsenic (As) | 29.0 | 55.0 | 10 | 60 |
| barium (Ba) | 160 | 625 | 50 | 625 |
| cobalt (Co) | 9.0 | 240 | 20 | 100 |
| molybdenum (Mo) | 3.0 | 200 | 5 | 300 |
| antimony (Sb) | 3.0 | 15 | 0.15 | 10 |
| beryllium (Be) | 1.1 | 30 | 0.05 | 15 |
| silver (Ag) | – | 15 | – | 40 |
| selenium (Se) | 0.7 | 100 | 0.07 | 160 |
| tellurium (Te) | – | 600 | – | 70 |
| thallium (Th) | 1.0 | 15 | 2 | 7 |
| tin (Sn) | – | 900 | 2.2 | 50 |
| vanadium (V) | 42.0 | 250 | 1.2 | 70 |
| Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
| II inorganic compounds | Â | Â | Â | Â |
| cyanides – free | 1 | 20 | 5 | 1500 |
| cyanides – complex (pH < 5) | 5 | 650 | 10 | 1500 |
| cyanides – complex (pH >= 5) | 5 | 50 | 10 | 1500 |
| thiocyanates | 1 | 20 | – | 1500 |
| bromide | 20 | – | 300 | – |
| chloride | – | – | 100000 | – |
| fluoride | 500 | – | 500 | – |
| Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
| III (volatile) aromatic compounds | Â | Â | Â | Â |
| benzene | 0.01 | 1 | 0.20 | 30 |
| toluene | 0.01 | 130 | 7.00 | 1000 |
| ethyl benzene | 0.03 | 50 | 4.00 | 150 |
| xylene | 0.1 | 25 | 0.20 | 70 |
| phenol | 0.05 | 40 | 0.2 | 2000 |
| cresols | 0.05 | 5 | 0.2 | 200 |
| catechol | 0.05 | 20 | 0.2 | 1250 |
| resorcinol | 0.05 | 10 | 0.2 | 600 |
| hydroquinone | 0.05 | 10 | 0.2 | 800 |
| dodecylbenzene | – | 1000 | – | 0.02 |
| styrene (vinylbenzene) | 0.3 | 100 | 6 | 300 |
| Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
| IV polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) | Â | Â | Â | Â |
| PAH (sum of 10) | 1 | 40 | – | – |
| Â Â naphthalene | – | – | 0.01 | 70 |
| Â Â phenanthrene | – | – | 0.003 | 5 |
| Â Â anthracene | – | – | 0.0007 | 5 |
| Â Â fluoranthene | – | – | 0.003 | 1 |
| Â Â benzo(a)anthracene | – | – | 0.0001 | 0.5 |
| Â Â chrysene | – | – | 0.003 | 0.2 |
| Â Â benzo(k)fluoroanthene | – | – | 0.0004 | 0.05 |
| Â Â benzo(a)pyrene | – | – | 0.0005 | 0.05 |
| Â Â benzo(ghi)perylene | – | – | 0.0003 | 0.05 |
| Â Â indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene | – | – | 0.0004 | 0.05 |
| Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
| V chlorinated hydrocarbons | Â | Â | Â | Â |
| dichloromethane | 0.4 | 10 | 0.01 | 1000 |
| trichloromethane | 0.02 | 10 | 6 | 400 |
| carbon tetrachloride | 0.4 | 1 | 0.01 | 10 |
| trichloroethylene | 0.1 | 60 | 24 | 500 |
| tetrachloroethylene | 0.002 | 4 | 0.01 | 40 |
| 1,1-dichloroethane | 0.02 | 15 | 7 | 900 |
| 1,2-dichloroethane | 0.02 | 4 | 7 | 400 |
| 1,2-dichloroethene (cis. trans) * | 0.2 | 1 | 0.01 | 20 |
| 1,1-dichloroethene | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.01 | 10 |
| vinyl chloride | 0.01 | 0.1 | 0.01 | 5 |
| 1,1,1-trichloroethane | 0.07 | 15 | 0.01 | 300 |
| 1,1,2-trichloroethane | 0.4 | 10 | 0.01 | 130 |
| chlorobenzene (sum) | 0.03 | 30 | – | – |
| monochlorobenzene | – | – | 7 | 180 |
| dichlorobenzenes (sum) | – | – | 3 | 50 |
| trichlorobenzenes (sum) | – | – | 0.01 | 10 |
| tetrachlorobenzenes (sum) | – | – | 0.01 | 2.5 |
| pentachlorobenzene | – | – | 0.003 | 1 |
| hexachlorobenzene | – | – | 0.00009 | 0.5 |
| chlorophenols (sum) | 0.01 | 10 | – | – |
| monochlorophenols (sum) | – | – | 0.3 | 100 |
| dichlorophenols (sum) | – | – | 0.2 | 30 |
| trichlorophenols (sum) | – | – | 0.03 | 10 |
| tetrachlorphenols (sum) | 0.01 | 10 | Â | Â |
| pentachlorophenol | – | – | 0.04 | 3 |
| chloronaphthalene | – | – | – | 6 |
| polychlorobiphenyl (sum) | 0.02 | 1 | 0.01 | 0.01 |
| EOX | 0.3 | – | – | – |
| dioxin | – | 0.001 | – | 0.001ng/l |
| monochloraniline | 0.005 | 50 | – | 30 |
| dichloroaniline | 0.005 | 50 | – | 100 |
| trichloroaniline | – | 10 | – | 10 |
| tetrachloroaniline | – | 30 | – | 10 |
| pentachloroaniline | – | 10 | – | 1 |
| 4-chloromethylphenols | – | 15 | – | 350 |
| dichloropropanes | 0.002 | 2 | 0.8 | 80 |
| Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
| VI insecticides | Â | Â | Â | |
| DDT/DDD/DDE | 0.01 | 4 | 0.004 ng/l | 0.01 |
| drins | 0.005 | 4 | – | 0.1 |
| aldrin | 0.00006 | – | 0.009 ng/l | – |
| dieldrin | 0.0005 | – | 0.1 ng/l | – |
| endrin | 0.00004 | – | 0.04 ng/l | – |
| HCH-compounds | – | 2 | 0.05 | 1 |
| α-HCH | 0.003 | – | 33 ng/l | – |
| β-HCH | 0.009 | – | 8 ng/l | – |
| γ-HCH | 0.00005 | – | 9 ng/l | – |
| carbaryl | – | 5 | 2 ng/l | 50 |
| carbofuran | – | 2 | 9 ng/l | 100 |
| maneb | – | 35 | 0.05 ng/l | 0.1 |
| atrazine | 0.0002 | 6 | 29 ng/l | 150 |
| chlordane | – | 4 | 0.02 ng/l | 0.2 |
| heptachlor | – | 4 | 0.005 ng/l | 0.3 |
| heptachlor-epoxide | – | 4 | 0.005 ng/l | 3 |
| endosulfan | – | 4 | 0.2 ng/l | 5 |
| organic tin compounds (sum) | – | 2.5 | 0.05-16 ng/l | 0.7 |
| azinphos-methyl | 0.000005 | 2 | 0.1 ng/l | 2 |
| MCPA | – | – | 0.02 | 50 |
| Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
| VII Other contaminants | Â | Â | Â | Â |
| cyclohexanone | 0.1 | 45 | 0.5 | 15000 |
| ftalates (sum) | 0.1 | 60 | 0.5 | 5 |
| mineral oil | 50 | 5000 | 50 | 600 |
| pyridine | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 30 |
| tetrahydrofuran | 0.1 | 2 | 0.5 | 300 |
| tetrahydrothiophene | 0.1 | 90 | 0.5 | 5000 |
| (mono)ethylene glycol | – | 100 | – | 5500 |
| diethylene glycol | – | 270 | – | 13000 |
| acrylonitrile | 0.000007 | 0.1 | 0.08 | 5 |
| formaldehyde | – | 0.1 | – | 50 |
| methanol | – | 30 | – | 24000 |
| butanol | – | 30 | – | 5600 |
| 1,2 butylacetate | – | 200 | – | 6300 |
| methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) | – | 100 | – | 9200 |
| methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) | – | 35 | – | 6000 |
| tribromomethane | – | 75 | – | 630 |
| ethylacetate | – | 75 | – | 15000 |
| isopropanol | – | 220 | – | 31000 |