Hoboken, 4 September 2025 – At the Umicore site in Hoboken, we take our responsibility towards the environment and society. Metal emissions from our activities – the recycling of precious and critical metals – have fallen to the lowest level ever. We will continue these efforts unabated, as we invest around 25 million euros annually in environmental measures, among other things to limit the stirring up of dust containing metal particles as much as possible. We are also planning an investment of 400 million euros in an innovative hydrometallurgical plant, which should be operational by 2030. This new technology will further reduce fugitive emissions and is an important step in our efforts to create an ever cleaner and safer living environment.
We recently submitted a request to the Province of Antwerp to revise the licensing conditions of our site relating to lead in blood, with particular attention to the P95 parameter and the tightening of the average blood lead level. We understand that this raises questions and therefore want to explain our request and the reason for it.
Twice a year, the Provincial Institute of Hygiene examines the presence of lead in blood in children living in the vicinity of the site. Participation in this study is voluntary. Based on these results, an average value is determined and a 95th percentile (P95).
The P95 of a series of numbers is that value where 95% of the numbers are lower and 5% higher. A standard on the P95 therefore implies that there is a focus on the 5% highest measured values. In practice, this concerns a limited group of children and these values are also influenced by factors over which we have no influence and control, such as the presence of lead drinking water pipes and old lead paint or road works in the area.
It is therefore possible that Umicore achieves strong environmental performance, while some children still have a higher lead value in the lead-in-blood measurements and therefore exceed the P95 value.
From 2026, the permit standard for the average lead level in the blood of neighborhood children would drop to 2 μg/dl (from 3 μg/dl this year) and the P95 to 4 μg/dl (from 5 μg/dl this year). Umicore considers this limit to be structurally unfeasible, partly because it does not sufficiently take into account the background exposure inherent in a metropolitan environment such as Antwerp. A recent biomonitoring study in the city centre of Antwerp showed that children without an active lead emission source still had an average of 2.14 μg/dl and a P95 of 5.52 μg/dl. Here too, factors such as historical traffic (leaded petrol), old houses and railway lines contribute to background pollution. A standard of 2 μg/dl on average would make Umicore responsible for values that partly arise from external sources, beyond our control.
We are not asking for a relaxation of the standards, but for a review of the way in which they are determined. We advocate indicators that are directly linked to the environmental performance of our site, are within our sphere of influence and are scientifically substantiated.
Umicore in Hoboken is the only non-ferrous company in Belgium and far beyond that has a lead-in-blood standard in its license conditions. For us, the health of the people in the area is of paramount importance and we support the relevance of the standardisation, but we ask for an approach in which the standard used is maximally aligned with our emissions and environmental performance. We therefore ask for a framework that remains ambitious, but is also meaningful, realistic and workable.
Our question is embedded in a broader context of cooperation with governments and local residents, and is in line with the long-standing agreements and commitments we have entered into. We remain committed to transparency, collaboration and continuous improvement. Our request is a call for a joint effort by industry and government, with the aim of a sustainable and scientifically based policy that protects public health and stimulates technological innovation.
