Background Arsenic is classified by the World Health Organisation as a group 1 human carcinogen. Drinking water is the main source of inorganic arsenic in humans. The WHO recommended limit is 10 µg/l. Lung, bladder and skin cancers can result from concentrations of 50 µg/l or more. Arsenic intake levels in Europe vary from 63 µg/day in England to 286 µg/day in Spain. Arsenic is also released into the environment by other means, for example from the production of ceramics and the use of wood preservatives and fungicides. Objectives The RAMAS project planned to create a risk assessment and management procedure for areas where arsenic is present. Tampere in Finland has elevated arsenic levels generated by a range of sources. The project would assess the health and environmental risks of these sources. Assessments would impact on land-use planning and allow remedial action to be taken where necessary. The acquired expertise can be applied in other parts of Finland and, with some modifications, elsewhere in the EU. Results The RAMAS project achieved its objectives. Surveys of the natural and anthropogenic arsenic sources were conducted and clear maps were produced. The regional risk assessment included households or farms having been utilizing arsenic-bearing water and soil for a long time, wood impregnation plants and abandoned mine areas. All relevant information was gathered, and for example, assessment of arsenic uptake by crops, eco-toxicological tests and bio monitoring (human exposure) were carried out to obtain better understanding of the exposure-response relationships in the area. It is difficult to establish correlations and/or causal relationships between the arsenic in nature and its appearance in crops and agricultural soil. The project concluded that the distribution of information is the best way to manage risk. Specific recommendations are hard to justify: providing recommendations based on difficult-to-interpret data might be counterproductive. The project could contribute to the EU soil policy, e.g. the EU Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection since the beneficiary is actively involved in the process, as well as the implementation of the Water Framework Directive. The impact and environmental risk of arsenic is little known, and the project results might affect future legislation. In several areas in Europe arsenic is identified as an environmental hazard. The project has a great potential to deliver innovative approaches to the management of arsenic from risk assessment to problem solving. The beneficiary, along most of the partners is a research organisation and, as a result, reluctant to make recommendations other than those that can be scientifically justified. However, the methodology applied is transferable, and the beneficiary has drawn up potential application opportunities beyond the project area and Finland. For example, RAMAS has published eleven reports, describing the methodology in detail and presenting the primary analytical data. The reports provide also the geological context, sampling and other features, which may be needed when the representativeness of the information is evaluated. Increasing knowledge about arsenic, its possible risks and risk management, has implications for land-use patterns and could result in recommendations covering the utilisation of ground water for drinking (both for humans and cattle). Risk management obviously provides a wide range of means for reducing the risks. The project has tested one method, the treating of arsenic-contaminated water with chemicals, but this method was inefficient and not applicable on a wider scale. Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).