/ Zwijndrecht / Antwerp –
The Antwerp provincial government will not whistle to the Flemish Commission of Inquiry. The fact that 3M will be imposed fairly lenient discharge standards for all kinds of PFAS compounds for about another year is an eye opener. And 3M itself can explain why another connection, FBSA, is used and possibly discharged without it being licensed. “If the company crossed the line, it will be called to account,” said the cabinet of Flemish Minister for the Environment Zuhal Demir (N-VA).
–
“A new element in the file on 3M that we are building”, says the cabinet of Flemish Minister for the Environment Zuhal Demir (N-VA). She sent enforcement to the 3M site on Thursday evening to take samples. Looking for FBSA, another one of those ominous abbreviations. A substance that 3M uses and possibly discharges, but which the company has never indicated it will work with.
An accredited lab is now analyzing those samples. “If 3M breaks the line, the company will be held accountable, that has been our position since the beginning and will remain so,” the Demir cabinet said. Because you can’t just discharge without a permit. And in any case, a chemical producer is expected to report whatever it uses to the government. Another thing that 3M may come to clarify with the inquiry committee in the Flemish Parliament.
READ ALSO. The PFOS pollution: these are the questions that beg for an answer
Who will also have to provide text and explanation is the Antwerp deputation. VTM revealed that it is quite lenient when it comes to the discharge standard imposed on 3M. It is allowed to discharge 30 milligrams per liter of PFOS, the substance that made the ball roll in the scandal. In most companies it is much less. And for other PFAS substances, the group of virtually indegradable chemicals of which PFOS is one, the standard is even higher. 3,700 milligrams per liter for one, 5,000 milligrams for another. Even substances that pose a higher risk to health in the long term.
water purification
Please note, this is a temporary situation. 3M was unable to get its water treatment plant in order and was granted a postponement until mid-2022 to put things in order. In the meantime, the procedures are underway to make the standard a lot more solid.
–
Photo: MARC HERREMANS – MEDIA HOUSE
“But still less robust than for other companies,” says Flemish Member of Parliament Mieke Schauvliege (Groen). “They have to stick to 0.1 milligrams per liter, not 1 milligram per liter, as 3M will have to do.” The fact that Minister Demir asked the province to speed up was not enough for her. “The province must also adhere to the procedures. And who draws up those procedures?”
Apples with pears
The province denies that 3M would have received preferential treatment. “The standards are not the same for two companies. That depends on the size of the company, what the activities are, you name it. You can’t compare apples to oranges.”
There is also better news to report. Flemish Commissioner Carl Vrancken came to explain the findings of three investigations to the Commission of Inquiry. “We have not measured any additional alarming values,” he says. “However, caution is still advised, especially when consuming eggs from free-range chickens that live outside on the ground.”
– .
