With the current excavation works and soil transports for Oosterweel, the severe contamination of local soil and groundwater with persistent, toxic and bio-accumulative chemical substances is threatened to spread even further. The environmental movement demands a sustainable solution for the long-standing environmental problem of PFAS.
26.06.2021 | Greenpeace: Sarah Jacobs
In recent weeks it has become clear that important actors in politics and administration knew about the disturbing soil pollution. This was discovered during the preparation for the Oosterweel works. However, the general public was deliberately not informed about this, because 'the shovel' simply had to go into the ground. And this while there were already serious warnings about health risks for residents in Zwijndrecht and the surrounding area.
What's the problem?
Specifically, it concerns PFAS (poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances), highly polluting and toxic chemical substances that result from the fluoridation process. This has been happening since the 1970s in the 3M factory in Zwijndrecht.
PFAS are man-made and do not occur naturally in the environment. They are used for non-stick coatings on certain pans, among other things, because of their water-repellent, grease-repellent qualities, but especially because they are virtually indestructible. They are therefore also called the “forever chemicals”, simply because they do not decay. If they end up in the body of humans and animals, many of these substances also remain there for a very long time, with all kinds of negative consequences for health.
3M received permission from the licensing authority to discharge these toxic substances into the Scheldt. The discharge standards used are not even based on the actual environmental impact, but on the “highest measured concentration after purification”. A permit on shaky ground, tailor-made for 3M. PFAS is also continuously released from the 3M site via rainwater and groundwater. Due to this negligent licensing authority and by underestimating the PFAS problem, this chemical was able to spread far into and beyond the Scheldt. With serious consequences for nature. The soils in the Natura 2000 area Blokkersdijk also appear to be heavily polluted. The route of the planned Oosterweel Scheldt crossing is also located in the same area, for which a tunnel mouth is planned in the middle of a heavily polluted area.
In the meantime, the excavation works for Oosterweel have been started by the client Lantis on the Left Bank. These soils may absolutely not be simply removed. The local measured values exceed the Dutch limit values for safely applicable soil by three to one hundred times. Soils that actually need to be remediated will be used “construction-free”, possibly even moved and dumped outside Antwerp. The most extremely polluted soil would end up in embankments and noise barriers on the Left Bank. Simply packed in plastic and with too thin a covering layer, with a serious risk of cracks and leaks as a result, in other words an above-ground dump full of risks. This method of storage is in any case not sustainable in time.
The solutions: immediate termination
The environmental movement demands an immediate stop to the earth movements. Afterwards, a structural and sustainable solution must be developed for the PFAS in collaboration with the environmental movement, with hard guarantees for the environment and public health.
On Wednesday, Minister Demir stated that the revision of the descriptive soil survey of the 3M site is in progress. That is an important first step, but the PFAS must be viewed in a much larger picture. How do we prevent the PFAS from spreading further and how do we deal with the production of this and similar chemicals yet to be produced in the future?
In addition, the question remains who is responsible for this. Did the licensing authority turn a blind eye to 3M's discharge standards? Did they neglect the precautionary principle and ignore the potential environmental and health impact that PFAS could entail? Will the polluter be responsible for the (remediation) costs and social damage?
Contact: Greenpeace press office, bpress@greenpeace.org – 0496 26 31 91
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