Elevated concentrations of heavy metals have been found in Jacob Jacobsstraat, a street in Antwerp’s diamond district, following a soil investigation.
This was reported by the Public Waste Agency of Flanders, OVAM, on Monday evening.
The street in question is close to the Value Trading gold refinery, against which the Jewish community has been campaigning for some time. Local residents were informed by various agencies on Monday night. However, it will be a legal challenge for them to link the metals present with the company’s activities, let alone with cases of cancer or other diseases.
“In late 2022, OVAM launched a voluntary soil investigation,” the agency stated in a press release. “It was prompted by a soil sample from a vegetable garden project of the Province of Antwerp that suggested the presence of elevated concentrations of heavy metals in the soil.”
The concentrations vary at different drilling points and were detected in both the topsoil and deeper soil layers. According to OVAM, the contamination occurred mainly when the site was raised with extraneous materials such as rubble, brick and coal ash. “Other sources cannot be excluded, but the proportion of these other sources cannot be refined,” OVAM said.
Soil remediation expert Sweco did a rough screening on 20 plots of land in the station neighbourhood. On 14 plots, there was no or limited contamination. However, on six of the plots screened, elevated concentrations were found in the backyard that require further investigation.
“On those plots, OVAM will therefore carry out a descriptive soil survey,” the agency said. “Through such an investigation, OVAM can determine the extent and risks of the contamination in more detailand then decide whether remediation is necessary.”
Pending the survey, the Care Department proposes, in advisories to residents, to limit exposure to the pollution. The department will also conduct cancer and blood tests in the same neighbourhood. That will take several months.
The Jewish community in particular has long protested against gold refinery Value Trading. The company has always denied that there is a link between its activities and possible cases of cancer in the area around Antwerp station.
