News | RIVM

The 2020 Nitrate Report: nitrate levels in the water on farms on the rise again since 2017

More nitrogen and phosphorus have been ending up in the soil on farms since 2015. As a result, nitrate concentrations have been rising since 2017 in leachates and ditch water from those farms.

Improvement of air quality continues

In 2019, the calculated concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM10) were below the European limit values in almost the whole of the Netherlands. Locally, the limit value for nitrogen dioxide is still being exceeded.

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%.

Interim injunction decision Nitrogen

In an interim injunction proceeding between Mesdag Zuivelfonds, Stichting Stikstofclaim and RIVM, the court has ruled that RIVM must decide on the availability and disclosure of data before 1 Janua

A pregnant woman can protect her baby against whooping cough with 22-week vaccination

From 16 December 2019, pregnant women in the Netherlands will be offered the 22-week vaccination. With this vaccination, a pregnant woman protects her child and herself against whooping cough.

How to distinguish a dual user from an exclusive e-cigarette user

RIVM and Maastricht University have identified a combination of factors that can be used to distinguish between exclusive e-cigarette users (vapers) on the one hand and people who smoke both regula

Exploratory RIVM calculations of nitrogen measures

The Dutch government announced its plans for the first steps in tackling the nitrogen deposition issue.

landschap met lanbouwgrond en bebouwing op de achtergrond

Openness about nitrogen

There is concern about the current approach to nitrogen and the proposed measures; these concerns have been expressed in Dutch society as a whole and amongst farmers in particular.

RIVM measures much higher levels of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide in cigarettes

Tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide (TNCO) levels measured in accordance with the Canadian Intense (CI) method are at least twice as high as the levels measured in accordance with the prescribed ISO

Addictive nicotine and harmful substances also present in heated tobacco

Heated tobacco products are newly available on the market. An example of such a product is the heatstick which is heated with an iQOS, a device that looks like an e-cigarette.