Carcinogenic Chromium 6 found in groundwater at Tata Steel

Inspectors recently found the toxic and carcinogenic substance Chromium 6 in the groundwater on the site of Tata Steel. The substance was at a depth of 5 meters, the North Sea Canal Area Environmental Agency announced. The regulated instructed Tata Steel to immediately investigate the source and extent of the contamination, the Volkskrant reports.

Health service GGD told the newspaper that there is currently no health risk to the local residents. The Chromium 6 was underground, and no drinking water is extracted from the area. So there is no exposure to the carcinogenic substance.

This is the latest of many incidents at Tata Steel involving pollution and health risks to those living around the steel manufacturer.

The factory has locals so stressed that the Frisse Wind foundation, set up by concerned residents of the Kennemerland region, installed a webcam to permanently film the Tata Steel site, according to the Volkskrant. “We have identified 425 incidents with our webcam since March 15 this year,” Sanne Walvisch of the foundation said to the newspaper.

One of the incidents was a fire at Kooksfabriek 2 over the weekend. Tata Steel said on Twitter that “a small fire” at the factory caused smoke “for a short time.” But according to Walvisch, there was an enormous amount of smoke. She called it one of the largest incidents the webcam recorded. “And it was also the first time that Tata itself reported the fire, afterward.”

A spokesperson for the Environmental Agency told the Volkskrant that it would investigate the fire and that it received a “brief report” about it from Tata. “We will in any case also send them a warning letter that the reporting behavior must improve.”