Ronse stream still tens of times above PFAS limit as VUB finds fourteen compounds in the soil
New water and soil samples by VUB and Climaxi show that pollution with so-called forever chemicals has barely fallen, and that newer variants are turning up as well.
Researchers at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, professor Willy Baeyens and doctoral student Yue Gao, took new water and soil samples around the Molenbeek stream in Ronse together with the environmental group Climaxi, VRT NWS and the regional broadcaster AVS reported on Wednesday. PFAS concentrations in the water remain tens of times above the Flemish environmental quality standard. Even in the zone where VUB measured slightly lower values than the Flemish Environment Agency had previously, levels are 50 to 80 times the limit.
The soil is also more polluted than expected. The researchers found 14 different PFAS compounds, including in sandy soil, although concentrations there were low. AVS reports that the highest values were measured in Spinsterstraat and around Maghermanlaan. Some of the substances found had not been measured by the authorities four years ago. Alongside older long-chain PFAS, they include newer short-chain variants such as GenX. Baeyens considers these less dangerous but still toxic; how quickly they disappear and what they do to health remains unclear.
Climaxi names the textile company Utexbel and carpet maker Associated Weavers as historical polluters, along with the defunct Tardel and the smaller firm Alpani, which recently asked for looser limits. Most companies now say they no longer use PFAS. According to AVS, the mix of old and recent substances suggests the problem goes beyond the former large polluters.
Climaxi wants all PFAS types found to be taken into account in future environmental permits, and calls for permanent monitoring stations and regular checks in Ronse. PFAS are present in soil and water across Flanders; they break down very slowly and are harmful to people and the environment.