News | RIVM

National Prevention Agreement’s impact on smoking, overweight and problematic alcohol consumption as yet insufficient

The Dutch government wants to reduce the percentage of people who smoke, are overweight or whose alcohol consumption is problematic. To this end, the National Prevention Agreement was drawn up in 2018, with ambitions for 2040. The 2040 ambitions for all three theme’s will not be achieved.

PFAS in sea foam along Dutch coast

Recent measurements commissioned by the provinces of Zeeland, Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland have revealed the presence of PFAS in sea foam along the Dutch coast, as reported by RIVM. It is as yet unclear what the presence of PFAS in sea foam means for human health.

RIVM identifies three major challenges for public health and healthcare in period to 2050

The Dutch public health and healthcare will face three crucial challenges in the period to 2050. This is according to RIVM’s preview of the Dutch Public Health Foresight Study 2024.

Doctoral research: Pure fruit juice is less bad for your health than soft drinks

Pure fruit juice is less bad for your health than drinks with added sugar, such as soft drinks. At the same time, it is not suitable as a direct substitute for eating fruit. This is Floor Scheffers' conclusion in her doctoral thesis.

Predicting who will experience symptoms after Lyme disease remains challenging

Each year, approximately 27,000 people are diagnosed with Lyme disease. For most, the symptoms disappear after treatment with antibiotics. Unfortunately, 25% of those treated have chronic symptoms, such as fatigue, concentration disorders or pain.

National Immunisation Programme: slightly more cases in 2022, but fewer than before the COVID-19 pandemic

In 2022, a slightly higher number of people in the Netherlands contracted diseases covered by the National Immunisation Programme (NIP) compared to 2021. This increase is likely due to the easing of coronavirus measures, such as social distancing.

Adherence to Physical Activity Guidelines particularly low among young adults

The number of people in the Netherlands aged four and over who meet the Physical Activity Guidelines has fallen since 2020. In 2022, 44.3% of the population was sufficiently physically active.

New Zoonoses Report out now: avian flu most notable outbreak in 2022

Throughout 2022, the Netherlands faced a persistent avian flu outbreak, affecting 76 poultry farms. The virus also infected numerous wild birds and various wild mammals. These findings are presented in the Zoonoses Report, an annual publication issued jointly by RIVM and the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA).

Combined exposure to high amounts of lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic increases risk of kidney damage

People can come into contact with chemicals that may affect their health through food and drinking water.

No changes to chromium (VI) adverse health effect list

No changes will be made to the list of adverse health effects that may be caused by exposure to chromium (VI) in the workplace. According to RIVM, the latest scientific literature has resulted in no new insights.