Traditional risk assessments of PAHs in soils and sediments are not suited for areas that are impacted by soots, coals and residues from industrial activities, such as gas-production, metal smelting, and mining. For these areas, PAHs sorb much stronger to the soil/sediment-media than they would in "pristine" areas, due to the presence of strong sorbing residues and black carbon. The PAHs thereby exhibit a lower bioavailability and lower leachability, and therefore reduced risk compared to what traditional risk assessments would assess, as traditional risk assessment do not account for the presence of strong sorbing phases. The IBRACs calculator is a simple tool to assess risk, in both "pristine" soils as well as impacted soils (in which the presence of strong sorbing phases are confirmed).