That advice is published today by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment. The institute studied fish and shellfish from all over the Western Scheldt, from Bath in the east to Vlissingen in the western part.
Especially in the fish species sea bass and flounder a high concentration of chemicals is found. The RIVM calculated that an adult man weighing 70 kilos already ingests more PFAS with 331 grams of sea bass or 356 grams of bone than such a person should be exposed to in a whole year. 353 grams applies to shrimps.
Cancer and liver damage
For smelt you already reach that limit at 534 grams; for whiting it is 1067 grams. It is also better not to eat the Zeeland delicacies oysters (one and a half kilos) and mussels (1200 grams) from the Western Scheldt. Only the edible sea lavender plant can be safely eaten from this area.
You will not immediately get sick from a single serving, the researchers say. But these substances build up in the human body, so those who often eat fish from the Western Scheldt will have more harmful substances in their body. This poses health risks in the longer term, such as cancer and liver damage. The immune system can also be weakened.
What are PFAS?
PFAS is a collective name for more than 6000 different man-made chemicals. They are hardly biodegradable and are therefore also called ‘forever chemicals’, eternal chemicals. RIVM warns against these substances: they spread easily in water, soil and air. Everyone gets them. PFAS accumulate in the human body, animals and plants.
In the long term, health damage can occur, such as cancer, liver damage and elevated cholesterol. The immune system can also be affected. It can slow down the development of unborn children.
Daily life
PFAS are unavoidable in our lives: they can be found in water-resistant (sports) clothing, the non-stick coating in pans, plastic food packaging, cleaning products and furniture.
The production of the most harmful substances PFOS and PFOA were stopped at the beginning of this century and replaced by new types such as GenX.
In any case, according to the RIVM, the Dutch already ingest too much PFAS: between 6.3 and 21 nanograms per kilogram of body weight per week, mainly through drinking water and food. According to the institute, the maximum limit is 4.4 nanograms.
These chemicals are so intertwined with our daily lives that they cannot be avoided (see box above). They are hardly biodegradable and spread easily. PFAS is found all over the world in the air, water and soil. All living organisms have it in their bodies.
Illegal discharges
The Western Scheldt has become particularly polluted by the chemical factory of the chemical group 3M. It is located just west of Antwerp in (Belgian) Zwijndrecht. The factory produced PFOS until 2000, a very harmful type of the ‘PFAS family’ that has since been banned. In addition, in August 2021 it was announced that the factory illegally discharged the toxic substance FBSA (also a PFAS compound) into nature for a long time. That ended up in the Western Scheldt.
The Dutch government is lobbying together with Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway for a ban on PFAS in non-essential applications. The government wants to agree a maximum limit for foodstuffs at European level.
RIVM is collecting more data about the presence of these substances in our nature, waters, soil and air. The institute is also trying to map out which health risks threaten in the longer term.
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