Reporter Julie Thilges interviews an attendee of the ‘Samen voor schone lucht’ walk against Tata Steel, one of the most significant polluters in the Netherlands.
Located 30 minutes by car from Amsterdam, Tata Steel is among the most important steel manufacturers in Europe. As a significant polluter in the Netherlands, the factory has been facing a lot of controversy due to the toxic carcinogenic emissions created in the production process. These concerns date back to 1975 and manifest in worries regarding the health of residents, the environment, and water quality. Consequently, Greenpeace Nederland has been urging the Dutch government to take more responsibility. Tata Steel and the outgoing Cabinet are working towards a quick agreement about a clean-up plan, since the company has shown awareness of the issue surrounding the carcinogens on top of emphasizing that they value sustainability as well as biodiversity. On April 21 2024, Stichting FrisseWind.nu, Gezondheid op 1 and Greenpeace Nederland organized a walk at Ijmuiden (Velsen, North-Holland) to advocate concern of the residents for the environment.
Greenpeace’s project People vs. Polluters and the walk Samen voor schone lucht (Together for clean air) all have the same thing in mind: the health of the residents near Tata Steel, and the environment. To get insight into the walk at Tata Steel, Leiden master’s student Františka Beránková (24) sat down with The Amsterdammer to answer a few questions about the situation and the walk.
How did you get involved in this particular project? I feel like a lot of people don’t know about Tata Steel or the negative consequences of its operations.
I think you’re right that a lot of people don’t know about the situation that’s taking place just a few kilometers away! Personally, I got involved because I am a volunteer with Greenpeace Greenact, and get newsletters from Greenpeace about their ongoing campaigns and ways to participate. For a long time, I also wasn’t aware of how bad the pollution was from Tata Steel, and recall spending many carefree days at the beach with the factory’s chimneys lining the horizon. I first heard more about it after Greenpeace’s mass action against Tata Steel in June 2023, and have since kept up to date on the residents’ lawsuit and further environmental investigations. So when Greenpeace started promoting their current Samen voor schone lucht campaign, I felt compelled to help in any way I could. Through getting involved, the more I heard about how badly affected the residents are, the stronger I felt about the issue.
How exactly are the residents affected?
The impact on anyone living in the surrounding area is incredibly alarming. Findings from official investigations by the RIVM (the National Institute for Public Health and Environment) conclude that the factory is the main source of dangerously high levels of lead, PAHs, and carcinogens in the region, and that these are not decreasing despite Tata Steel claiming otherwise. Alongside odor, dust and noise from the factory causing nuisance for the residents, there are also very real health risks. Emissions caused by Tata Steel have been directly linked to significantly higher rates of cancer and a life expectancy shortened by 2.5 months for those living in the area. The carcinogenic substances released by Tata Steel have also been proven more dangerous than expected; for example, long-term exposure to the current levels of lead can cause permanent brain damage, especially in children.