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There are so many harmful chemicals in fish, crustaceans and shellfish from the Western Scheldt that RIVM advises to eat them “as little as possible”. The institute has calculated how much of it people can eat without ingesting too high doses of PFAS.
By NU.nl/ANPThe average Dutch person ingests too high concentrations of these harmful substances through their food and drinking water, the institute wrote in a report last year. Therefore, it is “important to increase the intake of PFAS as little as possible,” the researchers now write.
PFAS are hardly biodegradable
PFAS are man-made and barely biodegradable. The substances can be found in many places due to widespread use and discharges. From a certain exposure they can cause health damage.
Some types of PFAS can harm the immune system of young children. People who ingest too much PFAS run an increased risk of cancer, liver damage and high cholesterol.
The researchers mainly warn hobby fishermen
Chemical group 3M in Zwijndrecht, Belgium, has been discharging PFAS into the Scheldt for years. There is hardly any commercial fishing on the polluted Western Scheldt, but the area is popular with anglers.
The researchers warn this group in particular, because they believe that these fishermen also consume their catch. Shrimp fishermen who were previously active in the Western Scheldt recently decided to avoid the estuary as a precaution.
Statistical uncertainty
According to the research, those who do not ingest other products with PFAS can eat sea bass from the Western Scheldt one to six times a year. That bandwidth is quite large, because it concerns very small quantities. This entails statistical uncertainty.
A serving of shrimp more than five to six times a year could lead to overexposure. The margin is larger for oysters and mussels: RIVM calculates two to a maximum of seven times a year. A portion of bone is allowed only twice a year without exceeding the limit values.
Swimming in the Western Scheldt is less risky than was assumed. The RIVM measured PFAS concentrations at a location that is believed to be more polluted than the official swimming locations, but were not too high. Further investigation will follow at three swimming locations.