Limburg wants investigation into health effects of chemical company Chemelot

The province of Limburg wants to investigate the impact of the Chemelot industrial estate on the health of local residents and employees. The Cabinet recently announced that it would investigate the impact of the chemical company Chemours in Dordrecht.

In a motion, the Provincial Council in Limburg asked the municipal council to request the Cabinet to also investigate the impact of Chemelot in Geleen. The motion was tabled by the PvdA during a debate on the 2024 budget and was supported by a majority of the political groups. During the debate, the Provincial Executive Committee already stated that it supported the need for a study and was happy to cooperate with the government.

The Chemelot site is located "between three municipalities", wrote the PvdA and the companies in the industrial park emit substances "that can have a negative impact on the health of both residents and employees in the industrial park". A "significant proportion" of residents who took part in a perception survey are "concerned about the impact of incidents involving hazardous substances on their health".

Chemelot and four companies on the construction site are currently on trial for several serious incidents in recent years. This week, the Public Prosecution Service has already demanded 25 million euros from the company Sabic for unsafe work processes. Not only did this cause environmental damage, but also injured three workers, one of whom died. Millions in fines were also demanded against other companies on the construction site.

Almost 40 motions were voted on during the budget meeting. A large number could count on a majority. For example, the Provincial Council wants secondary school students to be able to be taught about the innovations being developed on the Limburg campus (Brightlands).

It also wants to examine whether the emergency shelter and wildlife aid need more subsidies, and the groups want the council to "map the current state of the entire Limburg healthcare landscape". In addition, "awareness campaigns" are to be launched to make Limburgers "aware of the value and diversity" of the Limburgish language. The budget was approved after more than 10 hours of meetings.