A week after the declaration of more than a thousand local residents against Tata Steel, the steel factory in IJmuiden says it wants to tackle the nuisance more quickly. The company is today announcing measures to reduce odor, dust and noise nuisance from 2023. Previously, Tata Steel did not expect an effect until 2025.
Incidentally, the measures are not new, but were partially implemented in 2019 and partially at the end of 2020 announced. The company now wants to implement part of those plans, which involve 300 million euros, more quickly.
It was already known that Tata Steel will build an installation that reduces the emissions of particulate matter, nitrogen and heavy metals. This costs around 150 million euros. The measures to better seal another factory are also not new.
Tata Steel is the largest production company and the largest CO2 emitter in the Netherlands. The steel factory has been under attack for years. Last week, more than a thousand local residents decided to enter the factory complain. They accuse Tata Steel of “knowingly and knowingly continuing to release very dangerous and carcinogenic” substances.
Heart complaints and lung cancer
Last month announced the Dutch Safety Board (OVV) is conducting an investigation into the consequences of the emissions for local residents. Just before it turned out research of the RIVM that the area in IJmuiden regularly has to deal with poor air quality as a result of high concentrations of particulate matter. The population is more likely to suffer from health problems such as headaches and nausea. Heart complaints, diabetes and lung cancer are also more common, the RIVM concluded.
About 30,000 people are indirectly dependent on Tata Steel for their work. NOS op 3 made the following explanation video about the dilemma between a proud employer and a major polluter:
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The two faces of steel giant Tata Steel
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The steel factory has been under fire since the summer of 2018 due to nuisance caused by graphite and dust rains in surrounding villages such as IJmuiden and Wijk aan Zee. Local residents have long believed that the steel manufacturer is doing far too little to protect them from this nuisance.
Part of the plans to prevent the spread of dust is the construction of dust screens and canopies. According to Tata Steel Netherlands, the dust precipitation in the immediate vicinity can therefore decrease by 65 percent in 2023.
The company also wants to tackle the odor nuisance caused by a cooking and gas factory. Together, the different sizes should therefore lead to a reduction of the odor load in the immediate vicinity by about 85 percent, according to the company. Tata Steel has announced that it will monitor whether it achieves its own target for odor and dust reduction.
Director Hans van den Berg is in on Tuesday evening News hour guest and explains the measures and the commotion of recent times.
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