ProRail clears up contaminated stones and has houses cleaned in Apeldoorn

NOSBallast stones in Apeldoorn are removed by Prorail

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 16:15

The ballast stones, which contain a carcinogenic substance and were stored close to a residential area in Apeldoorn, are still being removed by ProRail today. The railway manager used a vacant lot for half a year to store the stones. ProRail acknowledged yesterday that mistakes were made when working with the bricks at this location.

Many residents of the area are worried. Quartz dust can be released when the stones are moved, causing serious lung disease and cancer. The dust settled on houses, in gardens and on cars.

These types of stones must be sprayed when working with them and that “did not go well” in Apeldoorn, said a spokesman for ProRail yesterday.

To clean

The railway manager is having an investigation carried out to determine whether all procedures have been followed properly. ProRail did not have a permit and will, for example, check whether it was necessary.

The ProRail spokesperson also makes a promise to the people who live in the immediate vicinity of the vacated ballast storage. “We are going to have houses cleaned. We will let another company do that. We will be advised by the GGD. Both the inside and the outside of the houses will be cleaned. That will happen in the short term.”

Today, ProRail is not only removing the old ballast stones that contain quartz dust, but also the new stones that do not contain the substance, in order to allay the concerns of local residents.

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