16 december 2019
On 1 December, the Dutch minister for Environment and Housing, Stientje van Veldhoven, offered the updated temporary plan of action containing a broader PFAS standard to the Dutch parliament. Mixed soil products with the RAG quality mark already met the previous stricter standard and therefore don't need testing for PFAS.
Ground products with the RAG quality mark could already be used everywhere with a PFAS content under the earlier, stricter standard of below 0,1 μg/kg soil. With the updated temporary plan of action, the PFAS standard has since been broadened. In the soil quality class Agriculture and Nature, soil products with a PFAS content of up to 0,8 μg/kg soil may be used without restriction. If a soil product falls in the soil quality class Residential areas (0,8-3 μg/kg soil), the PFAS content of the receiving soil must be higher than that of the soil product. A soil product with a PFAS content of 3 μg/kg soil or higher may not be applied.
To know the PFAS content of a soil product, this must be tested in advance. For mixed soil products with the RAG quality mark, such as tree sand or tree soil, this is not necessary. Not even for RAG or RHP compost, for example, which is not covered by the Dutch soil legislation 'Besluit Bodemkwaliteit', but which is a raw material for which a duty of care applies. Therefore, RAG certified end products do not need to be tested for PFAS. This is because these are supplied on the basis of quality assurance. The quality of the end products is guaranteed on the basis of the flows taken in, in the entire chain. Also see the frequently asked questions on the website of Bodem+.
Also see the updated infographic in which this is explained step by step.
