Proposed European PFAS ban officially submitted The Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway today took the first formal step towards a European ban on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) by jointly submitting a restriction proposal to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).
Sustained avian flu outbreak is the most remarkable outbreak in 2021 discussed in Zoonoses Report The outbreak of the H5N1 variant of avian flu was the most remarkable outbreak in 2021. In October of that year, the Netherlands experienced the start of the biggest outbreak of avian flu since 2003.
PFAS levels in drinking water from river water need to be brought down The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) advises to reduce PFAS concentrations in the drinking water in parts of the Netherlands in the coming years. This concerns drinking water produced from river water.
Number of STI tests at sexual health centres are rising again In 2021, more than 138,000 people were tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) at a centre for sexual health.
More STI tests conducted by Sexual Health Centres In 2021, more people visited a Sexual Health Centre (SHC) to get tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) than in 2020. This figure is still lower than in 2019, the year before the coronavirus outbreak.
Towards a sustainable, healthy future for everyone: EU project INHERIT offers policy solutions Today, on 10 December a policy toolkit will be presented at the final conference of the European four-year research project INHERIT.
Temporary background values for PFAS in Dutch soil RIVM has derived temporary background values for two types of PFAS in Dutch soil: PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) and PFOA (perfluoro octanoic acid).
EU air policy gives an average of 6 extra years of life in the Netherlands Since the 1970s, European policies to improve air quality have resulted in fewer emissions in many countries.
New environmental noise and health guidelines Exposure to environmental noise is expected to cause more health problems in the Netherlands. There is increasingly more noise, and new houses are being built closer to noise sources.
Residential Wood Burning Alert in unfavourable weather conditions As of this autumn, RIVM will advise against burning wood in unfavourable weather conditions and or poor air quality.