RIVM withdraws from tobacco committees The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment will leave the NEN/CEN/ISO committees for tobacco and e-cigarettes with immediate effect.
Alertness about the Zika virus still needed for pregnant women Since May 2015, there has been a Zika virus outbreak in South and Central America, including the Caribbean. The Zika virus can cause birth defects, including microcephaly (small head size).
Health effects due to titanium nanoparticles in food and toothpaste cannot be excluded Health effects due to exposure to titanium dioxide nanoparticles via food, food supplements and toothpaste cannot be excluded.
Assessment of health effects of alternative tobacco products To assess the effects on the health of users of alternative tobacco products, more knowledge is required about the composition of the product, the smoker’s behaviour (such as the amount of cigarett
More tobacco products, number of additives stable In 2014, the number of tobacco products on the Dutch market increased to 4212. This is a 5 percent increase compared to 2013.
Tool for risk assessment of nanomaterials in cosmetics Both regulators and manufacturers need to evaluate and manage consumer health risks that may be posed by the use of nanomaterials in cosmetics.
Nanotechnology increasingly used in medical devices The application of nanotechnology to design and produce medical devices is increasing. RIVM provides an overview of nanotechnology enabled medical devices.
Cost-effective risk assessment of nanomaterials may be feasible Companies, authorities and scientists can save time, money and test animals in the risk assessment of nanomaterials by using available data.
Increase in number of additives in tobacco products A total of 673 different types of additives are used by manufacturers in their tobacco products (cigarettes, cigars and pipe tobacco) and the number of additives used per tobacco product type incre
Metals in tobacco harmful to health Growing tobacco plants acquire metals from soil, fertilisers, and industrial pollution. Smoking liberates some of these metals from tobacco into smoke to be inhaled by the smoker and bystanders.