Abstract

RIVM has been measuring the amounts of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and metals in coarse dust deposited on the ground in IJmond since 2020. Tata Steel is a major source of this dust, which causes a public nuisance in several villages around the steel plant. The presence of PAHs and lead in the dust is a concern for the health of young children. In autumn 2025, RIVM took measurements for the fifth time and compared the results with those from previous years.

Once again, the results show that more PAHs and metals were deposited in the IJmond region than in areas without nearby industry. This was particularly true for Wijk aan Zee. There are indications, however, that the amounts deposited in Wijk aan Zee in 2025 were slightly lower than in 2020. The amounts measured in other residential areas varied, both compared to each other and by year. Amounts of iron have dropped considerably almost everywhere since 2020.

It is unclear what is behind these decreases and whether they are structural. How much dust is emitted by Tata Steel is only one of multiple factors affecting the amounts deposited in the area. Wind strength and direction also play a role, for example. Because weather conditions including wind and precipitation differed between the years studied, it is unclear exactly how much influence these factors had.

Finally, RIVM investigated whether measurements of PAHs and metals measured within the air quality monitoring network could be used to estimate the deposition of these substances in the living environment. This was not possible: when the air quality measurements were compared with the deposition measurements, the increases and decreases in the measured amounts did not follow the same patterns.