Does the strong presence of pollutants in the water of the SWDE find its origin in the military base in Beauvechain, the only known structure using PFAS in this region? The question is valid. Especially considering the high amounts of pollutants detected in the base’s soil and groundwater. More precisely at its fire training ground, where plane wrecks rub shoulders with charred helicopters. This is where soldiers train to put out fires using “water when exercising and [depuis 2021] in the event of a real fire, new types of foam that no longer contain fluorine“, specifies Commander Dupuis.
Until 2021, the military therefore used foams rich in PFAS, ignoring the risks of poisoning their body and the surrounding environment. No blood tests of Beauvechain’s troops have yet been carried out.
On the other hand, the samples taken by the base in 2021 reveal concentrations of one of the pollutants, PFOS, 97 times above the limit values for soil set in Wallonia.
Despite its cement coating, the infiltration of these pollutants into the water table was inevitable. Indeed, according to Catherine Bouland, “PFAS percolate at ground level, even with an impermeable slab“. They percolate there, and not just a little.
Thus, in this groundwater, the sum of PFAS amounts to 5800 ng/L. That is 580 times more than the threshold of 100 ng/L beyond which experts speak of “hotspots“.
