04.08.2021 | Press release blood test Zwijndrecht

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Eva Frooninckx – Fundamental Right

PRESS RELEASE

Antwerp, 04.08.2021

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Grondrecht, a citizens' collective started in response to the PFOS problem in Antwerp, had blood taken from 10 people (9 from Zwijndrecht and 1 from Linkeroever) and measured for PFAS values. The blood measurements (serum) were carried out at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam under the supervision of prof. Jacob de Boer.

The values of all 10 samples are too high; several values are even unseen high. For comparison:

• EFSA 2020: all samples exceed the limit value of 6.9 ng/mL for the sum of PFOA, PFNA, PFHxS and PFOS. The highest value in our tested persons exceeds this by a factor of 168 (!), the lowest value by a factor of 3.4.

• EFSA 2008: the limit value was set by the Dutch RIVM at 89 ng/mL for PFOA. Given that PFOS is twice as toxic (RIVM, June 4, 2021), this sets the limit value for PFOS at 44.5 ng/mL. This means that 8 of our 10 samples even exceed the limit values from 2008.

• Dordrecht 2017: if we compare our blood samples with the results from Dordrecht, we notice that both the highest and lowest values in Zwijndrecht are 10 x higher. Here too, we are dealing with PFOS instead of PFOA, which means that this result also has to be increased by a factor of 2. From this we can deduce that 7 of our measured values are above the highest measured value of Dordrecht.
  
• In Northern Italy, a maximum value of 1mgL/L was found in PFOS pollution in wastewater (De Morgen, July 17). We found this concentration of PFOS (1,100 ng/mL) in the blood of 1 of our test subjects!
  
• In the EFSA 2020 publication, table 17 on page 74 shows us that the highest value for PFOS in the blood, measured in the population so far, is 392.3 ng/mL (France, 2014). 4 of our measured values are above that!

“These results show that the situation in Zwijndrecht and Antwerp is very serious,” says Eva Frooninckx, spokesperson for Grondrecht. “As a result, the government must take additional measures to monitor and limit the impact of PFAS poisoning.”

Fundamental rights therefore require, among other things, that:

• the current health research is supplemented with an epidemiological study, which allows for the investigation of links between the pollution and certain conditions and diseases (cancers, thyroid and cholesterol problems, fertility problems, etc.). Intergenerational family connections must also be investigated; after all, PFAS are passed on via the placenta and breastfeeding. Grondrecht wants to be involved in this epidemiological study.
  
• additional research is being organised:
  
  • to health effects for children under 12 years of age.
    
  • to pregnant women and/or women in Zwijndrecht who are breastfeeding. On that basis, communication should be made about the desirability of breastfeeding.
    
  • for residents who did not have the opportunity to have their blood values tested.
    
• People with high PFAS levels are subject to free medical follow-up to see whether they develop conditions or diseases as a result of these high levels.
  
• 3M immediately communicates transparently about the PFOS contamination that has occurred in the past via soil, water and air, and about the emission or discharge of PFAS that still occurs. The government must apply state-of-the-art standards for the review of 3M's permits and the permits that will be granted to 3M in the future.

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The government is too slow to measure PFOS poisoning. That is why we already had these blood samples taken, and we are planning additional health research.

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