Frisian waterways polluted by PFAS, water board calls for ban

Chemicals known as PFAS were found in all Frisian waterways and lakes both in 2024 and last year, according to research by the provincial waterboard Wetterskip Fryslân.

The concentration of PFAS was above accepted limits and that means a total ban on the use of the chemicals is need at an EU level, the water board said. The national waterboard association has called for a ban on PFAS for several years.

Wetterskip Fryslân said its labs were able to check for 30 common PFAS. “The results are clear. PFAS was found in all water samples and in greater quantities than current norms,” the agency said. “That applies to both large bodies of water and ditches.”

One of the highest concentrations of PFAS found so far in the Netherlands was identified at the Leeuwarden air force base, with concentrations up to 900 times the standard limit. The pollution was spread over more than 1100 hectares, the water board said.

Clean up

In May government officials said at least 57 sites across the Netherlands are so badly contaminated with PFAS that they need urgent cleanups.

The 57 sites emerged from a wider screening by provinces and local authorities that has so far identified some 4,000 potentially contaminated locations, around 600 of which have been selected for deeper investigation, broadcaster NOS said at the time.

PFAS – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – are a group of thousands of synthetic compounds known as “forever chemicals” because they barely degrade in the environment. They have been linked to cancer, immune system damage, and harm to fertility and unborn children.