Abstract
Policies and testing procedures surrounding leaching test methods that have been regulated by the Soil Contamination Countermeasures Act have many similarities to those of the leaching test method for industrial waste given in the Japanese Environmental Agency, notification No.13. There are, however, several technical issues involved in the leaching tests that are specific to soil; the differences mainly pertain to the physical and chemical properties of soil as compared to industrial waste. This manuscript addresses the technical features and issues of the regulatory leaching test for soil, taking into consideration the recent discussions regarding technical revisions made to the leaching test method for industrial waste in June 2013. In addition, based on the results of a series of leaching tests conducted on five different rock materials containing natural derived lead and/or arsenic, the manuscript also discusses the effects of their friability and grain size on the amount of leaching exhibited by trace metals in the conventional batch-type leaching tests. Finally, state of the art technology in leaching test methods for soils and rocks in Japan are reviewed in order to put forth future roles and perspectives relating to a regulatory leaching test for soil.
