Our society uses chemicals. Science contributes to its safe and sustainable use. That may be complex, but it should not be complicated to explain. Only then our knowledge serves policy makers and citizens.

Mark Montforts studied environmental science (1991) and biology (1992) at Utrecht University. He then worked there at the Science Shop Biology and as a lecturer at the faculties of Chemistry and Biology, and joined RIVM in 1993 for research into risks of biocides and plant protection products for the environment. He was involved in the development of methods for the environmental risk assessment, including those of (veterinary) medicines. He earned his PhD in environmental risk assessment at Leiden University (2005). Mark Montforts is a European Registered Toxicologist and a SETAC Europe Certified Environmental Risk. The role of the environment in the development and spreading of antimicrobial resistance has his special interest.

At the RIVM, he advises the ministries on the use of scientific knowledge in the policy. From his work at the RIVM, he regularly participates in international workgroups of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). He chairs the OECD Working Party on Biocides in 2022. He established the Dutch Biocides Expertise Network (2010-2014)). He was the coordinator of the Dutch research on pesticides and residents in 2014-2019. Related to this work, he is a member of an independent scientific advisory board on a research project funded by the European Pesticide Producers Association (ECPA). This research focuses on the use of occupational exposure data in epidemiological studies. Mark chairs the OECD Expert Group on Claim Development for Treated Articles. This group considers articles treated with e.g. disinfectants and insecticides, and what may be claimed about their properties and functionality. At the national level he is involved in advisory work regarding (veterinary) medicines, antimicrobial resistance, pesticides, biocides, contaminants in fertilizers, and in the field of risk and safety governance. Mark is currently project coordinator of the RIVM SPR project DIRECT. Within the DIRECT project, RIVM is developing a method to estimate how safe and sustainable a product will be at the start of a design process.

Expertise

• Dealing with risks - risk governance
• Pesticides
• (Veterinary) medicines
• Antimicrobial resistance in the environment
• Participation of stakeholders

Contact

E-mail: vsp-secretariaat@rivm.nl