The research was carried out on behalf of the Action Group Grondrecht (means Fundamental Right)
It concerns 9 people who live within a radius of one kilometer and one person on Linkeroever.
All blood samples exceeded the European Agency EFSA standard by hundreds of times.
“This is unprecedented”, says Jacob De Boer, expert and toxicologist at the Free University of Amsterdam.
One of the samples showed levels of 1100 nanogram per millitre blood. Apparently that’s a record
The Flemish government also has blood samples taken from 800 local residents who live within 3 kilometers of the 3M factory.
“We suspect that the substances mainly end up in the body through food.
It concerns local residents who eat a lot of vegetables from their own garden, including eggs from the chickens.
But the exposure can also be through the skin or inhalation.
Until today we do not know what has come out of 3M’s chimney in the past, so local residents may have inhaled the PFOS directly.
The government should push to get that information from 3M.”
Professor De Boer
The Flemish Government Said
“At such high values, we recommend that you no longer eat vegetables and eggs from your own garden and that you have regular medical check-ups in the coming years.”
The recommendations by the Flemish government apply to people who live within a radius of up to 10 kilometers around the 3M factory in Zwijndrecht.
Personal Remarks
Some environmental activists believe the Flemish government is trying to hide this “fiasco” under the carpet.
Refs
10 bloedstalen bij omwonenden van 3M-fabriek vertonen ongezien hoge PFOS-waarden