The PFAS soil contamination near the 3M site in Zwijndrecht has set a lot of motion in a short period of time. For example, Flemish local authorities have made an inventory of +/- 4000 sites with an increased risk of PFAS contamination.

Over the next few months and years, OVAM will submit those locations to an Exploratory, or possibly an Orientation, Soil Survey (VBO/OBO). Initially, VBO will be performed on 300 Fire Department training grounds. After that, other areas of the inventory will be covered. The detailed protocol for this VBO can be read on the OVAM website. (https://www.ovam.be/onderzoeksprotocol-verkennende-bodemonderzoeken-pfas-op-brandweersites-0). It is a new research protocol that will be evaluated and updated after the first 50 studies.

The VBO is commissioned by OVAM by soil experts. The reports will be sent to OVAM who will provide them with an opinion. Next, the Care and Health Agency (especially the Environmental Health team) will add a health advice to this VBO. As part of this advice, a set of No Regret Measures (NRM) will also be advised for the site and the surrounding area. Where NRM is issued, further follow-up is needed so that the measures can be relaxed or lifted as soon as possible.

The contractor will join the Environmental Health team with qualified personnel whose mission will consist of at least 80 percent of the handling of records (health advice) and following up with delegated NRM. The files to be handled will be mainly, but not exclusively, the VBO or OBO mentioned above. For up to 20 percent of the time, the contractor contributes to the internal expertise building of the Environmental Health team in relation to the health aspects of PFAS. This expertise building includes formalizing insights generated by the case treatment itself, literature insight provided by MSF and the Environmental Health Partner Organisation and self-study through updates from the OVAM and RIVM.

It is currently assumed that the analysis of an average VBO or OBO file and providing the health advice will take 4 hours. There will be about 40 cases per month for the first half of the year. These estimates will be updated following the evaluation and updating of the Protocol.

The client expects an average stake of +/- 1 VTE over the entire period of the assignment, but also expects the contractor's flexibility to be able to temporarily increase the stake to when necessary (for example, because the number of records estimated per month is higher) 2 FAT. It is up to the client to determine how and with how many different people he organizes this flexible commitment. Of course, with a view to maximising value added to the client.

The assignment runs over a period of 2 years.

The PFAS soil contamination near the 3M site in Zwijndrecht has set a lot of motion in a short period of time. For example, Flemish local authorities have made an inventory of +/- 4000 sites with an increased risk of PFAS contamination.

Over the next few months and years, OVAM will submit those locations to an Exploratory, or possibly an Orientation, Soil Survey (VBO/OBO). Initially, VBO will be performed on 300 Fire Department training grounds. After that, other areas of the inventory will be covered. The detailed protocol for this VBO can be read on the OVAM website. (https://www.ovam.be/onderzoeksprotocol-verkennende-bodemonderzoeken-pfas-op-brandweersites-0). It is a new research protocol that will be evaluated and updated after the first 50 studies.

The VBO is commissioned by OVAM by soil experts. The reports will be sent to OVAM who will provide them with an opinion. Next, the Care and Health Agency (especially the Environmental Health team) will add a health advice to this VBO. As part of this advice, a set of No Regret Measures (NRM) will also be advised for the site and the surrounding area. Where NRM is issued, further follow-up is needed so that the measures can be relaxed or lifted as soon as possible.

The contractor will join the Environmental Health team with qualified personnel whose mission will consist of at least 80 percent of the handling of records (health advice) and following up with delegated NRM. The files to be handled will be mainly, but not exclusively, the VBO or OBO mentioned above. For up to 20 percent of the time, the contractor contributes to the internal expertise building of the Environmental Health team in relation to the health aspects of PFAS. This expertise building includes formalizing insights generated by the case treatment itself, literature insight provided by MSF and the Environmental Health Partner Organisation and self-study through updates from the OVAM and RIVM.

It is currently assumed that the analysis of an average VBO or OBO file and providing the health advice will take 4 hours. There will be about 40 cases per month for the first half of the year. These estimates will be updated following the evaluation and updating of the Protocol.

The client expects an average stake of +/- 1 VTE over the entire period of the assignment, but also expects the contractor's flexibility to be able to temporarily increase the stake to when necessary (for example, because the number of records estimated per month is higher) 2 FAT. It is up to the client to determine how and with how many different people he organizes this flexible commitment. Of course, with a view to maximising value added to the client.

The assignment runs over a period of 2 years.