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Denmark to test 10 kindergartens and playgrounds for ‘forever chemical’ PFAS

Five kindergartens and public playgrounds on Funen and five kindergartens and public playgrounds in Southern Jutland are to be tested for presence of the chemical, the South Denmark regional health authority said in a statement on Thursday.

The locations are to be tested because the authority does not know with certainty that they are not contaminated with PFAS, the health authority said.

“I want to stress that the Region does not expect in advance that PFAS chemicals will be found in the ground in amounts that can constitute a risk to children,” Poul Erik Jensen, head of the Region’s environment board, said in the statement.

“But a review of a number of different kindergartens, creches and playgrounds has identified 10 locations in the region where the risk of PFAS pollution cannot be dismissed,” he said.

“That should naturally be looked into so we are on the safe side,” he said.

The kindergartens and playgrounds to be tested are located in the municipalities of Assens, Faaborg-Midtfyn, Middelfart, Svendborg, Sønderborg, Varde, Fredericia and Vejle.

Local authorities have been advised of the decision to test the areas and issued advice related to necessary precautions.

Despite the decision to conduct the tests, the South Denmark Region does not consider any PFAS presence that might be detected to constitute an acute risk to children. This means the areas do not need to be closed off, Jensen said.

The tests will primarily take place during the upcoming Easter holidays to minimise disruption, he also said.

“Our experts’ assessment is that PFAS does not constitute a risk for children’s play with the soil. The playgrounds can therefore be used as they have been up to now until we have received the results of the investigations,” he said.

A common factor for each of the locations is that they are close to a former factory or waste disposal site. For this reason, they have already been tested for pollution, but PFAS testing did not form part of the standard testing at the time.

The results of the tests are expected to be available in May.

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