In December 2016, RIVM published in Dutch the results of its research into the health risks of playing sports on synthetic turf pitches with rubber granulate.

New research by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) shows it is safe for people to play sports on synthetic turf fields with an infill of rubber granulate.

RIVM has started to take samples of rubber granulate from 100 synthetic turf fields in the Netherlands.

Lyme disease can cause a variety of complaints in patients. Laboratory tests for the disease can support medical practitioners in making a diagnosis but are not necessarily conclusive.

The Interspecies website which helps researchers to reduce and refine the use of laboratory animals is transferred to the 3Rs database Programme of the 3Rs-Centre Utrecht Life Sciences (ULS) of Utr

The Netherlands is the first country where the burden of disease due to Lyme disease has been determined.