Leuna Carcinogenic chemical in groundwater

Cause of groundwater contamination with carcinogenic PFT remains unclear

28.10.2011

The groundwater in Leuna is contaminated with carcinogenic chemicals. As a spokeswoman of the district office in Merseburg officially confirmed, in the district Spergau increased concentrations of so-called perfluorinated surfactants (PFT) were detected in groundwater.

The toxic chemical is particularly dangerous because it accumulates over time in the environment and in the human organism. A PFT load in the groundwater is therefore extremely critical and, in addition, the PFT can in principle only be removed from the water with activated carbon filters. Thus, the approximately 1,000 inhabitants of the district of Leuna Spergau will probably have to live for some time with the contaminated groundwater.

Chemical industry as a cause of groundwater pollution?
The town of Leuna, located in Saxony-Anhalt, is one of the most well-known chemical sites in Germany. The Leuna works were located here in GDR times, at that time the largest chemical industry company in East Germany. Today, the site of the former Leuna-Werke is home to numerous companies in the chemical industry, with the list reading like the who-is-who of chemical companies: Total, Addinol, BASF Leuna GmbH, Linde AG, Dow and many more on site. There is a suspicion that the PFT pollution of groundwater might be related to the chemical industry, but the competent authorities do not want to hear about it and name a road in Spergau as a possible source of PFT. Although the district is located in close proximity to the former Leuna works, allegedly there were never processed PFT connections there. In addition, there are currently no indications of possible contaminated sites, the authorities said.

Further investigations of the chemical pollution of groundwater
The owners of the property advise the authorities not to use the water from their own well for the time being. In which „for the time being“ is an elastic term, because the burden is already known, according to newspaper reports since February. The PFT pollution of the groundwater, according to the Zweckverband Wasserversorgung und Abwasserbeseitigung Bad Dürrenberg, was noticed when increased PFT values ​​were detected during routine checks in the sewage sludge of the waterworks. Subsequent investigations have shown that the carcinogenic chemical has probably entered the wastewater via the increased groundwater level. However, the cause of the pollution could not be clarified until today. Further investigations of the PFT compounds in the laboratory are currently ongoing and the results are expected in 14 days, according to the authorities. These are to help determine the origin of the carcinogenic chemical. In addition, the house water wells are monitored, according to the authorities. However, according to the experts, the polluter pays for the origin of the PFT burden are generally extremely difficult, so it is doubtful that the authorities will eventually find the cause. (Fp)

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Image: Dieter Schütz