Contaminated Soils Testing

Are you concerned about potential hazardous materials contaminating your land? Ensure the safety of your site and maintain compliance with regulations through thorough soils testing.

At Lucion, we recognise that contaminated land can pose significant risks to your project. Whether you’re seeking to meet planning requirements for a new development on previously polluted land or if you are producing an environmental report for a brownfield site, untreated contaminated land can cause delays, financial losses and potential harm to your stakeholders and the environment. We can support you with all sorts of hazardous materials compliance services, covering everything from a contaminated land survey to soil sampling and analysis in our state-of-the-art hazardous materials laboratory.

Our team of experiences surveyors, analysts and geo-environmental consultants work closely with you to understand the unique challenges of your project and provide tailored solutions that address your specific needs. We offer a comprehensive range of contaminated land assessments to provide you with environmental monitoring and a soil and land remediation strategy for moving forward safely.

Providing you with the data and insights you need to make informed decisions about a brownfield site or after another type of land investigation, our land contamination survey services include:

Asbestos in CAR-Soil Testing: designed to provide accurate identification and quantification of asbestos fibres in soil samples to help assess the risk on a brownfield site or other type of land development, and implement remediation strategies
Soil Chemical Testing: analyses soil for the presence of a range of harmful chemicals including heavy metals, hydrocarbons, pesticides and other organic and inorganic pollutants to support ground engineering projects
Brownfield Land Testing & Inspection: since asbestos risks on brownfield development sites must be considered, our brownfield land testing and inspection service provides a comprehensive assessment and characterisation of potentially contaminated sites

No matter the type of land contamination survey you require, whether you need support with environmental monitoring, conducting a preliminary risk assessment or a groundwater assessment, partner with Lucion to ensure your project runs smoothly and safely.

Whether you require asbestos in CAR-soil testing to ensure compliance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, soils chemical testing to determine the extent of contamination and associated environmental risks or brownfield land testing and inspection support to assess the potential presence of asbestos on polluted land, our hazardous materials laboratory is UKAS ISO 17025 accredited and delivers accurate and reliable results.

Our in-house laboratory testing as part of our contaminated soils testing service, which includes contaminated land assessments and a thorough contaminated land investigation, has Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis capabilities to conduct asbestos fibre analysis and deliver conclusive evidence and remediation strategy support. Whether you require waste management advice or a site condition report as part of a contaminated land survey, our contaminated soils testing service is here to help.

At Lucion, we understand that every project is unique, which is why our dedicated geo-environmental consultants collaborate with you to develop bespoke solutions that align with your project goals and timelines. From initial desktop studies and identifying potential contamination risks to comprehensive on-site investigations and remediation strategy planning, we support you at every stage of the process. We aim to provide you with a seamless, hassle-free land contamination survey experience, to minimise disruptions to your project and maximise efficiency.

Should the presence of asbestos be uncovered on your site, our asbestos compliance services can support you with everything from asbestos management plans to asbestos demolition surveys and even asbestos awareness training. From applying industry guidance to asbestos-contaminated soils to managing asbestos risks on brownfield development sites, choose Lucion to support you.

Ensure your project remains compliant with CAR 2012 and other environmental regulations – including Land Contamination Risk Management (LCRM) guidance – on schedule, and within budget with actionable insights and recommendations from Lucion. We enable you to make confident decisions, mitigate risks, and protect your people and the environment.

No matter the hazardous materials compliance services you require, Lucion can provice you with the support you need to ensure your land is free from dangerous contaminants.

Ready to discuss your project? Book a call with our expert consultants today.

Let’s talk

Case studies

View all case studies

SEM Air Monitoring at Large Car Manufacturing Site

View case study

Geo-environmental Surveying at West Midlands Interchange

View case study

Contaminated Land Advisor – SmartParc

View case study

Tested Soil Testing Solutions

Asbestos In Soils Scheme (AISS)

Our UKAS ISO 17025-accredited hazardous materials laboratory operates under the legal entity Lucion Services Ltd. We participate in the Asbestos in Soils Scheme (AISS).
.

AGS Member

Lucion Delta-Simons Ltd is a member of the Association of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Specialists (AGS).

Scanning Electrons Microscopy Fibre Counting Scheme (SEMS)

Our UKAS ISO 17025-accredited hazardous materials laboratory operates under the legal entity Lucion Services Ltd. We participate in the Scanning Electron Microscopy Fibre Counting Scheme (SEMS).

Testimonials

Lucion Delta-Simons Ltd has provided invaluable advice on the environmental elements at West Midlands Interchange allowing us as owners and development managers to proceed with confidence on this complex and challenging scheme. Lucion Delta-Simons Ltd has worked with sensitivity and flexibility around the various land ownership issues encountered and combined seamlessly with the other members of the professional team to help move through the purchase of the site towards enabling works, infrastructure, and unit construction. We look forward to continuing our work with the team to deliver this exciting and significant logistics scheme.

Michael Kirkland Logistics Capital Partners

Lucion is a professional and very approachable organisation. Extremely helpful in giving technical advice on asbestos management issues.

NHS Property Services Ltd

Thorough risk assessment, considerate of the nature of the proposed development. Lucion Delta-Simons Ltd identified pragmatic, cost-saving solutions designed to reduce disposal requirements and negate potential risks to future development.

Royal Albert Docks Representative

Lucion Delta-Simons Ltd took on a hopelessly muddled attempt at remediation coupled with very difficult relations between contractors and the regulatory authorities and quickly introduced clarity and coherence to the situation. Their advice was succinct and to the point and yet detailed enough to satisfy the regulators. A seemingly intractable situation was resolved quickly, and without fuss allowing us to get on with the development.

Earl of Romney Estate

Quite simply, we could not have made the progress we have achieved at Leafbridge without the support of Lucion Delta-Simons Ltd. They were a fundamental part of the team in the process that delivered us a planning consent for the site and have provided ongoing support through the discharge of planning conditions and detailed design activities. Their greatest strength has to be their responsiveness. If we uncover an issue on site, we know that by making one call they will be able to quickly send someone to site who will provide professional support and assistance.

Paul Wheatley Senior Project Manager

Solving the unique multi-faceted equation of difficult geology, surface water discharge restrictions, low carbon construction and a very tight budget could have been at least very disruptive to the project, and at worst could have prevented the project from being completed. This was accomplished far more easily due to the collaborative, flexible, innovative and always attentive involvement of Lucion Delta-Simons Ltd. I look forward to involving the team in all future projects with a need for geological investigation, management of potential waste and compliance with Environmental bodies.

Ken Bassett Senior Site Manager, Morgan Sindall

The project team have provided invaluable advice and expert reports on the geo-environmental aspects of this complex site culminating in obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals from the Local Authority, Natural England and the Environment Agency to allow the development to proceed. The team have allowed us to proceed with confidence on this complex and challenging scheme. We look forward to working with the team throughout the enabling/construction works and also on future brownfield regeneration projects.

James Mawson Director

Contaminated Soils FAQs

Contaminated soil contains hazardous materials that can pose unacceptable risks to individuals, protected species, surface water, and the environment. It may result from several factors, such as historic land use, importation of contaminated materials, poor construction methodology, or demolition of buildings containing hazardous substances.

At Lucion, we support a vast range of land and soil projects through our contaminated soil testing services.

We offer asbestos in CAR-soil testing which is designed to uncover the presence of asbestos on potentially polluted land to reduce the significant risks to human health and the environment, especially during soil disturbance activities. Our soil chemical testing service assess the environmental and human health risks posed by hazardous substances like heavy metals, hydrocarbons, pesticides and other organic and inorganic pollutants are present in soil. Brownfield land testing and inspection supports with the redevelopment of brownfield sites, ensuring they are suitable for use without posing significant risks to human health and the environment.

Soil contamination can occur through various means, including:

• Historic factory sites producing chemicals or hazardous by-products
• Importation of contaminated materials
• Poor construction practices
• Degradation of surrounding properties
• Poor maintenance of hazardous materials
• Use of demolished historic buildings as crushed hardcore

Failure to responsibly manage contaminated land can lead to various negative consequences, including:

Health risks to individuals exposed to hazardous materials
Environmental damage, such as contamination of surface water or harm to protected species
Legal and financial liabilities for responsible parties
Delays or additional costs in construction projects
Reputational damage for organisations involved

Proper management of contaminated land, including thorough testing and remediation, when necessary, is essential to mitigate these risks and ensure the safety of people and the environment.

Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) is an advanced technique that allows for the magnification of samples up to 200,000x, providing conclusive evidence of asbestos fibres in air samples. SEM is considered the best technique for determining asbestos risk in buildings where asbestos is managed in situ, particularly in high-traffic occupancy spaces prone to faster degradation. SEM analysis can be a valuable tool in assessing the effectiveness of asbestos management strategies and ensuring regulatory compliance.

In the UK, the Land Contamination: Risk Management guidance outlines the legal requirements for managing contaminated land. The ‘responsible person’ (landowner or person responsible for causing the contamination) is obligated to manage or remediate the contamination to prevent further risk to life and the environment. Local authorities are responsible for determining if land is legally contaminated and appointing the responsible person.