These impacts and risks are identified, analysed, qualified and where possible quantified. Advice is provided to the Dutch Ministries of Public Health, Welfare and Sport, of Social Affairs and Employment, and of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, Health Care Inspectorate, Food and Consumer Products Safety Authority, and in national and international forums.

Advice and studies relate to:

• Risks and impact on public health of chemical and biological agents, particularly biological medicines, chemical pharmaceutical products, medical technology, tobacco products, drugs and nanotechnology.
• Innovation in strategies for risk evaluation of chemical substances and medical products, directed particularly to carcinogenesis, mutagenesis, reproduction and immuno-toxicology and sensitisation. Particular attention is given to alternatives to animal experiments.
• Safe application of medicines and medical products, and other aspects of pharmaceutical care.
• Efficacy of products and the health care cycle with regard to medicines and medical products.
• Determinants of chronic diseases and particularly healthy ageing, nutritional status and lifestyle, for instance, disturbance of day-night rhythm.
• Technological innovations in health care.

The centre signals new developments in these areas, and carries out research to assess health impacts, and has access to various specialist laboratories for this research. Various legal and reference tasks are carried out on tobacco products, vaccines and blood products, and on medicines as the Official Medicines Control Laboratory.

Head of centre: S.W.J. (Susan) Janssen
 

Key expertise

• Pharmaceuticals
• Medical products/technology
• Nanotoxicology/nanomedicines
• Reproduction and immune toxicology
• Carcinogenesis and mutagenesis
• Tobacco and drugs
• Determinants of chronic diseases
• Healthy ageing
• Alternatives to animal experiments
• Genomics