No blood samples yet for the detection of PFOS in the whole of Antwerp (Antwerp)
Flemish Minister of Health Wouter Beke (CD&V) does not yet plan to take blood samples for the detection of PFOS on the entire territory of Antwerp, but does not rule it out in the long run. The Antwerp College of Aldermen asked about this in a letter to the minister. “We are deploying available capacity and resources to residents closest to 3M,” said the minister.
There is a blood test for the presence of PFOS in residents on Linkeroever and Zwijndrecht who live within a radius of five kilometers and bordered by the Scheldt of the 3M factory. Because this case was found in the soil on the right bank, alderman for Public Health Els van Doesburg (N-VA) thinks “This will help us map out the problem better”, according to the letter to Minister Beke.
The minister keeps the focus on the residents of the Left Bank, including children under the age of twelve.
“On the basis of the research results, the other groups who come in for a blood test will also be examined and examined,” says Bart Croes, spokesman for Minister Beke. “This concerns citizens who live within a radius of five kilometers around 3M on the right bank, residents who live outside that radius and previous residents of the area within a radius of five kilometers around 3M. The motivation to consider succeeding at a later stage on the available capacity and resources to examine the blood. That is why we are deploying that capacity to the local residents who live closest to 3M.”
In the meantime, it is being investigated whether the presence of PFOS can be detected via a finger prick instead of a blood sample. This technique has yet to be validated. “Flanders is doing innovative pioneering work in Europe to roll this out on a large scale,” says Croes.