Beachdoc,

You are correct, an evaluation will be made based on the materials used and expected risks. However, I think that it is unlikely that an area would be abandoned, particularly in the downtown area of a city. While I agree with you that if the risks and levels are low that we probably don't need to clean it up, the fact is that the public will likely demand we clean it up, as they have in many other instances of environmental contamination.

Greg