ARCELORMITTAL SOUTH AFRICA (AMSA), VANDERBIJLPARK LAND CONTAMINATION SITE ASSESSMENT REPORT

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), acting for the Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance (VEJA) and groundWork (gW), submitted a statement to the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) on 1 March 2018. The statement outlines critical shortcomings in ArcelorMittal South Africa's (AMSA) Land Contamination Site Assessment Report for its Vanderbijlpark site, arguing that the report is non-compliant with the National Environmental Management: Waste Act 59 of 2008 (NEMWA) and fails to adequately address serious contamination migrating off-site.

• The AMSA report identifies serious soil contamination, with the majority of samples exceeding the Soil Screening Value (SSV)1 threshold for arsenic, copper, manganese, and lead. Other constituents exceeding SSV1 include cadmium, nickel, vanadium, fluoride, nitrate, and sulphate. Specific high-level detections include chromium (VI) at 50.7mg/kg and benzo[a]pyrene at 7700ug/kg at auger hole AH12A.
• Groundwater contamination is evident, with 15 predefined samples showing exceedances of SANS and Aquatic Water Quality Standards for copper, manganese, zinc, fluoride, chloride, nitrite, nitrate, sulphate, and cyanide. Some exceedances of SANS 241: 2015 drinking water standards were found to be 10 to 20 times the limit.
• A coal tar pool of dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPL) measuring 3.02m thick was found in monitoring borehole T-11D. Data from 2014-2016 indicates that dissolved phase organic compounds (LNAPL)—including benzene, styrene, toluene, naphthalene, xylene, and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH)—are increasing in concentration and migrating off-site.
• The CER identifies several critical deficiencies in the assessment report, including the exclusion of the northern portion of the site (which contains waste dumps and treatment plants), inadequate sampling (using only 15 of over 150 boreholes), and the failure to include 2017 monitoring data and discharge results for the Leeuspruit and Rietspruit rivers.
• The report is criticized for using incorrect standards by referencing SSV2 (protective of human health in the absence of water) instead of exclusively using the stricter SSV1, which is required for sites adjacent to surface water or with groundwater users within 1km.
• The CER asserts that the report fails to adequately assess the health risks to surrounding communities and sensitive receptors. It notes that contaminants found on-site, such as cadmium, arsenic, benzo[a]pyrene, and chromium (VI), are Group 1 carcinogens according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2018). ARCELORMITTAL SOUTH AFRICA (AMSA), VANDERBIJLPARK LAND CONTAMINATION SITE ASSESSMENT REPORT. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/CER-to-DEA-Chemicals-Waste-re-AMSA-Land-Contamination-Site-Assessment-Report-01.03.2017.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. ARCELORMITTAL SOUTH AFRICA (AMSA), VANDERBIJLPARK LAND CONTAMINATION SITE ASSESSMENT REPORT. 2018. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/CER-to-DEA-Chemicals-Waste-re-AMSA-Land-Contamination-Site-Assessment-Report-01.03.2017.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=ARCELORMITTAL SOUTH AFRICA (AMSA), VANDERBIJLPARK LAND CONTAMINATION SITE ASSESSMENT REPORT |date=1 March 2018 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/CER-to-DEA-Chemicals-Waste-re-AMSA-Land-Contamination-Site-Assessment-Report-01.03.2017.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2018arcelormittal, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{ARCELORMITTAL SOUTH AFRICA (AMSA), VANDERBIJLPARK LAND CONTAMINATION SITE ASSESSMENT REPORT}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2018}, month = mar, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/CER-to-DEA-Chemicals-Waste-re-AMSA-Land-Contamination-Site-Assessment-Report-01.03.2017.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }