Aviation Analysis reported that former municipal ombudsman in The Hague Mr Peter Heskes says that due to the controversial nature of GGD’s investigation into cancer cases in the area around Tata Steel at IJmuiden, it is true that the name of the steel company was not mentioned in the investigation report. Mr Hiskes called on the director to intervene, because no research had been done into the cause of the cancer and it was a cancer prevention and survival study. But according to IJmondig founder Elaine Vindemut, big polluters can never be held responsible in this way. Vindemut says “I find it sad. We saw the same argument in RIVM. They say there is no mandate to look at the source of the contamination. Now this gentleman is also saying about GGD and the cause of more cancer cases. I say: Your job is to advocate for health from the locals.” In a report last summer, the GGD concluded that lung cancer and melanoma have been relatively more common in recent years among residents of the Harlem and Egmond area. For example, lung cancer in both men and women from Beverwijk was 25% more common than the average in the rest of the Netherlands. The name of the steel company Tata Steel did not appear in the final report, while this was the case in the concepts. This was a conscious choice for GGD director Mr Bert van de Velden.
Aviation Analysis reported that former municipal ombudsman in The Hague Mr Peter Heskes says that due to the controversial nature of GGD’s investigation into cancer cases in the area around Tata Steel at IJmuiden, it is true that the name of the steel company was not mentioned in the investigation report. Mr Hiskes called on the director to intervene, because no research had been done into the cause of the cancer and it was a cancer prevention and survival study. But according to IJmondig founder Elaine Vindemut, big polluters can never be held responsible in this way. Vindemut says “I find it sad. We saw the same argument in RIVM. They say there is no mandate to look at the source of the contamination. Now this gentleman is also saying about GGD and the cause of more cancer cases. I say: Your job is to advocate for health from the locals.” In a report last summer, the GGD concluded that lung cancer and melanoma have been relatively more common in recent years among residents of the Harlem and Egmond area. For example, lung cancer in both men and women from Beverwijk was 25% more common than the average in the rest of the Netherlands. The name of the steel company Tata Steel did not appear in the final report, while this was the case in the concepts. This was a conscious choice for GGD director Mr Bert van de Velden.
