Dave Offenbach is on a mission. As a council member from Amstelveen Citizens’ Interests political party (bbA), he’s determined to clean up potential pollution resulting from the use of steel slag in the Amsterdamse Bos. But he needs help.

“The Bos is on Amstelveen land, but it’s the responsibility of Amsterdam to take care of it,” he told Dutch News. “For all our people who make use of the forest for sports, recreation and nature, we find it very important that their health should be taken care of and the risk solved.”

The potential risk he is concerned about comes from steel slag, a by-product in the manufacturing of steel often used for cheap building material in roads, dykes and waterways.

Recent drilling under and along hiking trails in the Bos has shown the soil to be contaminated by the heavy metals chromium and vanadium, both contained in steel slag. The material was used between 2018 and 2023 on 11 kilometres of trails in the Amsterdamse Bos. Het Parool reported several studies have shown that heavy metals can be released if the slag mixes with rainwater or leaches into groundwater.

Just last month, the Dutch government introduced a one-year ban on the use of steel slag in areas where it could pose a public health risk, including bike and foot paths and playgrounds where people can come into direct contact with it or breathe in its dust.

“During this pause, we can conduct thorough research into the risks and possible alternative uses,” junior environment minister Thierry Aartsen told MPs in a July briefing.

Future generations

Back in 2023, the public health institute RIVM was already warning that steel slag can release harmful substances. That’s when Amsterdam officials stopped using it in the Bos.

“It’s bad and it’s all around the forest,” said Offenbach. “My party thinks we should find a way to clean it up, not for this generation but for future generations.”

To that end, earlier this month he submitted written questions from his party to the executive and mayor of Amstelveen on how best to do that. Soil experts say removing the steel slag is probably the best solution, but since there are no obvious remediation options, the pollution remains and no one seems to know where the slag should go.

“We asked if they are aware of the problem and what they’re doing about it,” Offenbach said. “We should have a plan, put aside financial reserves and communicate to Amstelveeners what’s happening. We should work together with the city of Amsterdam to make that plan.”

This is the second time Offenbach has asked Amstelveen’s executive to take the lead in solving the issue. “In 2023, they said there was no reason to act,” he recalled. “One and one-half years later, there is reason to act. As a member of the city council, I feel it’s my responsibility.”

“We are currently working on responding to the questions raised by council member Offenbach,” said Jolijn Bergsma from Amstelveen’s Communications & Public Information Department. “Please know that we take this matter very seriously.”

Tata Steel

The problem of steel slag is nationwide, including at Schiphol and in Zeeland, where it has been possibly linked to mass lobster deaths.

In the Netherlands, it is largely produced by Tata Steel.

“Every steel company in the world produces slag as a by-product of steel production,” said Tata Steel Nederland in a statement. “Situations have occurred in the Netherlands where steel slag was (incorrectly) applied and resulted in environmental damage.”

The company said it’s working internally on solutions as well as with research institutes and businesses in the field.

Contact

Back in Amstelveen, Offenbach said his “job is to check the government, to settle the framework they can work in and be the voice of Amstelveen people and Amstelveen expats.” To that end, he said he’d welcome contact from any and all Amstelveeners.

In the meantime, he will continue frequenting the forest he loves. “I don’t think there should be a big worry, and I don’t want to cause a panic,” he said. “But I want to solve this for future generations.”