🧪 PFAS in Uccle (Brussels) – Sicli site, fire extinguisher manufacturer 🧯

📌 The burden of an industrial legacy

On September 18, 2025, the public agency Brussels Environment presented to the Commune of Uccle – Gemeente Ukkel the very first analysis results around the former Sicli site 🧯. The measurements reveal PFAS concentrations ranging from 1.4 to 530 times the intervention standard. The highest value concerns groundwater.

📆 Full study expected early 2026

⚠️ Temporary recommendations

In the meantime, the authorities recommend not using well water and not consuming fruits, vegetables, eggs, or small livestock from gardens located within a 100 m precautionary perimeter around the site.

🏗️ Actions underway

In parallel, Brussels Environment, in close collaboration with the commune, is planning the evacuation of two plots, the refinement of the soil study, and emergency works ahead of full remediation. In addition, a report of an offense has been transmitted to the public prosecutor’s office against the bankruptcy trustees who did not continue the analyses after the company’s bankruptcy.

🏭 Burdensome legacy

Today, many areas bear the weight of a poisoned industrial heritage that affects soils, waters, and ecosystems—remnants of failing practices. Too often, when the industrial operators have disappeared, public authorities must shoulder the costs; over time, the polluter-pays principle proves difficult to apply.

📚 Source: La Libre, 09/18/2025.

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📌 One thing is certain: to act, you need to know.
🔬 Measuring is the start of any effective response.
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🛠️ Analytical contribution of fluorine NMR

CASC4DE helps push analytical limits for proactive management of PFAS pollution and offers non-targeted quantification (organic fluorine, PFAS) for a better understanding of these emerging contaminations.