2023-11-09 21:33:00
Could Europe’s largest metal crusher be responsible forcontamination of water and land with PFAS on the Obourg side, in the commune of Mons? CometSambre was in any case singled out this Wednesday evening in the RTBF magazine, Investigation. Samples were in fact taken at the direct discharge points of two neighboring companies, the Holcim cement plant and the metal crusher.
The results put forward by the RTBF speak for themselves: at Holcim, the laboratory had obtained a total sum of 62 nanograms per liter, a result well below the threshold of 100 ng/l. On the other hand, at the CometSambre wastewater level, a result of 2999 ng/l was obtained. That is to say a rate 30 times higher than the threshold. The report, however, recalls that today, these two companies have no standards for discharging PFAS into water.
Regular checks
Conclusions which appear simplistic in the eyes of the Comet group. “CometSambre recalls that all wastewater and runoff are collected and treated through a treatment plant equipped with activated carbon filters and high-performance physico-chemical processes. Its discharges are in compliance with the environmental permit granted by the Walloon Region and are subject to regular controls, both internally and with the support of independent offices”, we are told.
PFAS pollution in Obourg: the city of Mons was not informed and is demanding strong measures
The group also specifies that the foams used to extinguish fires, known to contain PFAS, have never been used on the Obourg site. “All fire outbreaks occurring within Comet stocks have always been and are treated exclusively with water and not with extinguishing foam, both by the internal fire department and that of firefighters from the rescue zone.”
The group therefore believes that it is not responsible for the PFAS pollution denounced in the magazine. Likewise with regard to chicken eggs collected from residents near the factory and qualified as “unfit for consumption” due to their contamination with PFAS, the group considers that at this stage, nothing allows to attribute this responsibility to him, the cause and effect link not being formally and objectively established.
“If new elements were identified by the authorities, we will continue to respect their decisions, implement the best available techniques and respect future new standards,” further specifies the group active in the trading of ferrous, non-ferrous and non-ferrous metals. derivatives.
The municipality of Ecaussinnes is already taking measures once morest PFAS pollution
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