After a new publication by the RIVM, the Frisse Wind Foundation is committed to clean playgrounds. In Wijk aan Zee, the playgrounds are already cleaned daily at the expense of Tata Steel, the foundation is now advocating that this should also be done in surrounding centers such as Beverwijk. “Now children have a lot of trouble, something needs to be done about that.”
As a mother in Beverwijk, Gwendolyn Porte has a concern that she would rather not bear. She wants her sons aged 10 and 11 to have as little contact as possible with everything that descends from Tata Steel’s factories. Just this week she heard a bizarre story. “A girl at an elementary school had all black dust on her hands, smeared it in her face and said to her teacher ‘look, now I’m just a soot sweeper’. That sounds funny but is of course very serious, that it just falls here. “
Watch the video report about the petition here:
Petition to urge Tata Steel to clean playgrounds – NH News
Washing hands after playing outside, that’s what Gwendolyn teaches her boys. Sometimes it fails to point this out to them and actually playing outside should be safe and clean, she thinks. Frisse Wind totally agrees. That is why the foundation has started a petition. Stephanie Dumoulin of Frisse Wind says: “Everyone can sign and we have prepared a letter that people can send to Hans van den Berg, the CEO of Tata Steel, and to the mayors of the municipalities. We do that to ensure that that everyone wakes up and realizes that cleaning really needs to be done now.”
Dumoulin does not dare to say whether Tata Steel ultimately wants to participate in this large-scale, preferably daily cleaning job. “It is a bit of a wait and see. It has of course been known for four years now that a lot of carcinogenic substances and other substances descend. Until now, Tata Steel has said: ‘We only clean in Wijk Aan Zee’. That is from the fools.”
The municipalities of Beverwijk, Heemskerk and Velsen jointly respond to the petition that Frisse Wind has started. “We fully understand that parents stand up for their children’s living environment. For the colleges of Beverwijk, Heemskerk and Velsen, a healthier living environment for its residents is paramount: all children must be able to grow up healthy in the IJmond.”
The municipalities are not surprised that there are questions after the figures published on Wednesday. “As colleges, we understand that the results of this research can raise questions as to whether the measures imposed and actions taken are sufficient and whether more or other measures are needed. Frisse Wind’s petition for cleaning playgrounds fits in with this.”
For the time being, the GGD advice on dust in the IJmond will remain the same, the municipalities write. “That means: keep playing outside because exercise is healthy. Based on the results of this second deposition study and the advice from the GGD, we will discuss this advice in more detail and based on this, see how this can be shaped. In addition, we will talk to Tata Steel to see what role the company can play in this.”
The petition has already been signed more than 340 times at the time of writing. Whether Tata Steel will take action will become clear later.