Urgent need for more research into environmental effects of microplastics Additional solutions are urgently needed to limit emissions of microplastics into the environment. Growing quantities of microplastics (particles of 5 mm or less) are entering our living environment every day.
Current knowledge on microplastics in the soil is still inadequate A literature review carried out by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has concluded that reliable standard techniques should be developed to analyse microplastics in the soil.
RIVM calls for increased involvement of scientific community in solving plastic crisis Industry and policymakers are not availing themselves enough of the available scientific knowledge when it comes to smarter ways of dealing with plastics.
Nature Nanotechnology publishes RIVM research on plastics On Thursday 20 January, Nature Nanotechnology published the article Quantitative tracing of uptake and transport of submicrometre plastics in crop plants using lanthanide chelates as a dual-functional tracer.
Levels of salt, saturated fat, and sugar in most foods has remained the same or decreased The levels of salt, saturated fat, and sugar in most processed foods has remained the same or decreased since 2018.
Microplastics in paint can cause problems in the environment Companies and organisations in the paint sector are aware that microplastics can cause problems as these particles end up in the environment where they persist and may be harmful to plants and anim
Report on the developments of the National Immunisation Programme: national immunisation coverage increased slightly for the first time in five years National immunisation coverage has increased for the first time in five years, for almost all vaccinations. For children born in 2017, vaccination coverage against mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) increased by 0.7% to 93.6%.
Updated immunisation recommendation for measles: early vaccination before travel A number of European countries are currently seeing outbreaks of measles. Before the start of the summer season, RIVM has therefore updated its immunisation recommendation for measles.
Measures against polluting microplastics from garments When garments made from synthetic materials wear, due to use and washing, microplastic fibres are released. Wastewater treatment plants remove 50 to 90 per cent of these microplastic fibres.
Discussion regarding health-based guidance value of PFOA The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published a provisional health-based guidance value for perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).