土壤中有毒有害化学物质的蓄积会影响陆地生态系统中植物、动物和微生物的生长、繁殖和生存等,甚至可能会影响到远离污染源的生态系统。生态风险评估方法因此被用来预测土壤污染物引起的生态效应,并定量评估风险产生的大小及其概率。与污染土壤的健康风险评估一样,生态风险评估在我国也处于刚刚兴起的阶段。本文介绍了欧美等发达国家当前使用的一些评估方法,评述了其研究进展,并提出了存在的问题和未来的发展趋势,旨在推动我国污染土壤的生态风险评估研究,以及基于风险评估的土壤环境质量指导值与标准的建立。
Rapid urbanization and industrialization often and increasingly cause soil contamination. Accumulation of toxic chemicals in soil may affect growth, reproduction and survival of plants, animals and micro-organisms in the terrestrial eco-systems, and may even threaten ecosystems quite a distance away from the source of pollution. Therefore, ecological risk assessment (ERA) is used to predict ecological domino effects triggered by contamination of the soils, and quantitatively measure magnitude and probability of risks. This article gives a brief introduction of ERA methodology developed in America and Europe, and reviews, current advances, existing problems and future trends in ERA research and development, hoping that through this effort development in ERA of polluted soils and establishment of risk-based Soil Environmental Quality Guidelines in China would be promoted.