The first tests were only done in the close vicinity of the 3M factory in Zwijndrecht. Now tests were done in the larger Antwerp area:
> Grondrecht again called in toxicologist De Boer, an authority in PFAS, the family of some six thousand molecules such as PFOS. This time the participants come from Zwijndrecht (2) but also from Antwerp (8), Linkeroever (4), Antwerp-North (4), Borgerhout (4), Edegem (1), Merksem (1) and Berchem (1). Two additional samples are from people who spent their youth in Zwijndrecht and Melsele.
> “The results are not good, even though these people live further and eat fewer vegetables and eggs from the garden than the people in Zwijndrecht,” says De Boer. Thirteen of the 25 people or 52 percent have blood levels above the EFSA standard and that is due to too much PFOS. One person is at that limit.
So the organization Grondrecht is now calling for the government research into PFOS contamination in people to expand:
> This is also a requirement of Grondrecht. “The government’s large-scale blood research is limited to 5 kilometers around 3M and former residents cannot participate,” says Eva Frooninckx of the citizens’ collective. “But our research just shows that you need to facilitate research in the wider area. The costs can be recovered from 3M.”
> Grondrecht also calls for a more intense campaign around the government survey so that more people participate and analyses clarify the links between elevated blood levels and health problems. For example, De Boer notes that there are thyroid problems in the neighborhood around 3M. “Now there is no guarantee that those kinds of connections will be investigated,” says Frooninckx. “That, however, is a crucial element in holding 3M accountable.”
25 people who were not selected in a random manner?
Not sure if this is a valid sample
I recently got a letter from the administration in Lier because my house is in an area that is possibly contaminated with PFOS. It came with a list of precautions like not eating eggs from your chickens, etc. So they’re already looking into it.
3m probably aren’t the only ones that had pfos…
Some of the factories in hoboken/hemiksem could have it too, there are still some chemical factories there…
And it was used by firedepartments all over the country…
Just let me leave this here;
Bart De Wever (N-VA) al in 2017 op de hoogte over PFOS-vervuiling: “Maar niet aan ons om te reageren”
…
Burgemeester De Wever zelf wil geen commentaar kwijt voor de microfoon, volgens zijn woordvoerder omdat het nieuws niet over Antwerpen gaat maar over Zwijndrecht en afvalstoffenmaatschappij OVAM. “Burgemeester De Wever is niet de burgemeester van Zwijndrecht, noch de voormalige minister van Leefmilieu Joke Schauvliege (CD&V)”, klinkt het.
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The first tests were only done in the close vicinity of the 3M factory in Zwijndrecht. Now tests were done in the larger Antwerp area:
> Grondrecht again called in toxicologist De Boer, an authority in PFAS, the family of some six thousand molecules such as PFOS. This time the participants come from Zwijndrecht (2) but also from Antwerp (8), Linkeroever (4), Antwerp-North (4), Borgerhout (4), Edegem (1), Merksem (1) and Berchem (1). Two additional samples are from people who spent their youth in Zwijndrecht and Melsele.
> “The results are not good, even though these people live further and eat fewer vegetables and eggs from the garden than the people in Zwijndrecht,” says De Boer. Thirteen of the 25 people or 52 percent have blood levels above the EFSA standard and that is due to too much PFOS. One person is at that limit.
So the organization Grondrecht is now calling for the government research into PFOS contamination in people to expand:
> This is also a requirement of Grondrecht. “The government’s large-scale blood research is limited to 5 kilometers around 3M and former residents cannot participate,” says Eva Frooninckx of the citizens’ collective. “But our research just shows that you need to facilitate research in the wider area. The costs can be recovered from 3M.”
> Grondrecht also calls for a more intense campaign around the government survey so that more people participate and analyses clarify the links between elevated blood levels and health problems. For example, De Boer notes that there are thyroid problems in the neighborhood around 3M. “Now there is no guarantee that those kinds of connections will be investigated,” says Frooninckx. “That, however, is a crucial element in holding 3M accountable.”
Translated with http://www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
————————
[Non Paywall article from VRT](https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2022/05/09/ook-in-groot-antwepren-zit-er-te-veel-pfas-in-het-bloed/)
25 people who were not selected in a random manner?
Not sure if this is a valid sample
I recently got a letter from the administration in Lier because my house is in an area that is possibly contaminated with PFOS. It came with a list of precautions like not eating eggs from your chickens, etc. So they’re already looking into it.
3m probably aren’t the only ones that had pfos…
Some of the factories in hoboken/hemiksem could have it too, there are still some chemical factories there…
And it was used by firedepartments all over the country…
Just let me leave this here;
Bart De Wever (N-VA) al in 2017 op de hoogte over PFOS-vervuiling: “Maar niet aan ons om te reageren”
…
Burgemeester De Wever zelf wil geen commentaar kwijt voor de microfoon, volgens zijn woordvoerder omdat het nieuws niet over Antwerpen gaat maar over Zwijndrecht en afvalstoffenmaatschappij OVAM. “Burgemeester De Wever is niet de burgemeester van Zwijndrecht, noch de voormalige minister van Leefmilieu Joke Schauvliege (CD&V)”, klinkt het.
[Vrt news source](https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2021/06/17/kabinet-bart-de-wever-n-va-we-waren-op-de-hoogte-van-pfos-ve/)