Soil experts took eleven samples to measure PFOS levels in Antwerp, Beveren and Zwijndrecht. It turned out that the limit values for PFOS in the soil in residential areas are not exceeded. The situation is different for the results in the natural and agricultural areas, especially in the vicinity of the 3M chemical plant in Zwijndrecht. There PFOS values of 18.5 and 22.9 micrograms per kilogram of dry matter were measured, well above the standard of 3.8.
Professor Nick Van Larebeke from UGent and VUB studies the effects of chemicals on humans: “The numbers are too high, especially in agricultural areas, that is the most worrying thing.”
According to Van Larebeke, PFOS and other PFAS substances have been in our blood for decades, but these levels have declined over the years. That doesn’t change the fact that caution is required.
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