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Background Scientific and technological advancements in mapping and understanding the interrelated pathways through which biological and environmental exposures affect disease development create new possibilities for detecting disease risk factors. Early detection of such risk factors may help prevent disease onset or moderate the disease course, thereby decreasing associated disease burden, morbidity, and mortality. However, the ethical implications of screening for disease risk factors are unclear and the current literature provides a fragmented and case-by-case picture. Methods To identify key ethical considerations arising from the early detection of disease risk factors, we performed a systematic scoping review. The Scopus, Embase, and Philosopher’s Index databases were searched for peer-reviewed, academic records, which were included if they were written in English or Dutch and concerned the ethics of (1) early detection of (2) disease risk factors for (3) disease caused by environmental factors or gene-environment interactions. All records were reviewed independently by at least two researchers. Results After screening 2034 titles and abstracts, and 112 full papers, 55 articles were included in the thematic synthesis of the results. We identified eight common ethical themes: (1) Reliability and uncertainty in early detection, (2) autonomy, (3) privacy, (4) beneficence and non-maleficence, (5) downstream burdens on others, (6) responsibility, (7) justice, and (8) medicalization and conceptual disruption. We identified several gaps in the literature, including a relative scarcity of research on ethical considerations associated with environmental preventive health interventions, a dearth of practical suggestions on how to address expressed concerns about overestimating health capacities, and a lack of insights into preventing undue attribution of health responsibility to individuals. Conclusions The ethical concerns ar

Het klimaat verandert wereldwijd, en ook in Nederland. De gemiddelde temperatuur is de afgelopen eeuw gestegen. Er is meer neerslag, meer droogte en er komen vaker zomerse dagen voor (boven de 25 graden Celsius). Het RIVM heeft de gevolgen van klimaatverandering voor onze gezondheid in de afgelopen 30 jaar (1991-2020) in kaart gebracht. Er zijn nu al grote gevolgen voor de gezondheid te zien. Deze effecten zullen naar verwachting toenemen. Dit onderzoek focust zich op de effecten op de gezondheid van hitte, UV-straling, luchtkwaliteit, (pollen)allergieën en infectieziekten door klimaatverandering. Ook mentale gezondheidsgevolgen zijn meegenomen. Het blijkt mogelijk te zijn om aan te geven dát klimaatverandering de gezondheid verslechtert en op welke manier. Maar de mate waarin dat gebeurt is vaak nog niet aan te geven omdat ook andere oorzaken eraan bijdragen. Meer kennis is nodig om de impact van klimaatverandering beter in beeld te krijgen en goede adviezen voor beleid te kunnen maken die de gezondheid beschermen.

Background: Scientific and technological advancements in mapping and understanding the interrelated pathways through which biological and environmental exposures affect disease development create new possibilities for detecting disease risk factors. Early detection of such risk factors may help prevent disease onset or moderate the disease course, thereby decreasing associated disease burden, morbidity, and mortality. However, the ethical implications of screening for disease risk factors are unclear and the current literature provides a fragmented and case-by-case picture.Methods: To identify key ethical considerations arising from the early detection of disease risk factors, we performed a systematic scoping review. The Scopus, Embase, and Philosopher’s Index databases were searched for peer-reviewed, academic records, which were included if they were written in English or Dutch and concerned the ethics of (1) early detection of (2) disease risk factors for (3) disease caused by environmental factors or gene-environment interactions. All records were reviewed independently by at least two researchers.Results: After screening 2034 titles and abstracts, and 112 full papers, 55 articles were included in the thematic synthesis of the results. We identified eight common ethical themes: (1) Reliability and uncertainty in early detection, (2) autonomy, (3) privacy, (4) beneficence and non-maleficence, (5) downstream burdens on others, (6) responsibility, (7) justice, and (8) medicalization and conceptual disruption. We identified several gaps in the literature, including a relative scarcity of research on ethical considerations associated with environmental preventive health interventions, a dearth of practical suggestions on how to address expressed concerns about overestimating health capacities, and a lack of insights into preventing undue attribution of health responsibility to individuals.Conclusions: The ethical concerns arising with the early detection of risk fac

RIVM rapport:Het klimaat verandert wereldwijd, en ook in Nederland. De gemiddelde temperatuur is de afgelopen eeuw gestegen. Er is meer neerslag, meer droogte en er komen vaker zomerse dagen voor (boven de 25 graden Celsius). Het RIVM heeft de gevolgen van klimaatverandering voor onze gezondheid in de afgelopen 30 jaar (1991-2020) in kaart gebracht. Er zijn nu al grote gevolgen voor de gezondheid te zien. Deze effecten zullen naar verwachting toenemen. Dit onderzoek focust zich op de effecten op de gezondheid van hitte, UV-straling, luchtkwaliteit, (pollen)allergieën en infectieziekten door klimaatverandering. Ook mentale gezondheidsgevolgen zijn meegenomen. Het blijkt mogelijk te zijn om aan te geven dát klimaatverandering de gezondheid verslechtert en op welke manier. Maar de mate waarin dat gebeurt is vaak nog niet aan te geven omdat ook andere oorzaken eraan bijdragen. Meer kennis is nodig om de impact van klimaatverandering beter in beeld te krijgen en goede adviezen voor beleid te kunnen maken die de gezondheid beschermen. Het best onderbouwde effect van klimaatverandering op gezondheid is het aantal extra sterfgevallen door de hogere gemiddelde jaartemperatuur: gemiddeld 250 doden per jaar. Door klimaatverandering zijn er onder andere meer warme dagen (boven de 20 graden). Ook komen er meer hittegolven voor, die langer duren en heter zijn. Hierdoor sterven meer mensen dan normaal. Hitte en droogte gaan vaak samen met veel pollen in de lucht en hoge concentraties ozon (zomersmog). Hierdoor kunnen mensen het benauwd krijgen, zeker als zij al aandoeningen aan de luchtwegen hebben. Het groeiseizoen duurt langer en er zijn meer pollen in de lucht. Meer mensen kunnen hooikoorts krijgen of hun klachten kunnen erger worden. Daarnaast staan mensen om verschillende redenen aan meer UV-straling bloot. Bijvoorbeeld omdat de zon meer uren schijnt, er minder wolken zijn en mensen meer buiten zijn met zonnig weer. Hierdoor is de kans op huidkanker groter. Verder komen bepaalde infectiez, The climate is changing worldwide, and therefore also in the Netherlands. The average temperature has increased over the past century. There is more precipitation, there are more periods of dry weather and days with temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius are now more frequent in the Netherlands. RIVM has studied the effects of climate change on our health over the past 30 years (1991-2020). Major health impacts are already visible and they are expected to increase. This study focuses on the health effects of heat, UV radiation, air quality, (pollen) allergies and infectious diseases due to climate change. Mental health effects are also included. The study illustrates that climate change worsens health and explains how this happens. However, the extent to which this happens is often more difficult to determine because other factors also affect health. More knowledge is needed to get a better picture of the impact of climate change and to be able to give sound advice on policies to protect health. The strongest evidence for the effects of climate change on health concerns the number of additional deaths due to higher average annual temperatures: an average of 250 deaths per year. Climate change leads to warmer days (above 20 degrees Celsius). There are also more heat waves, which last longer and are hotter. As a result, more people die than usual. Hot and dry weather often occurs at the same time as a lot of pollen in the air and high concentrations of ozone (summer smog). This can make people experience shortness of breath, especially if they already have a respiratory disease. The growing season lasts longer these days and there is more pollen in the air. This means more people may get hay fever or their symptoms may worsen. In addition, people are exposed to more UV radiation. This can be, for example, because there are more sun hours, there are fewer clouds and people are outside more in sunny weather. This increases the risk of skin cancer. In addition, certain in

RIVM rapport:Het RIVM heeft de Risicotoolbox grondwater (RTBgrondwater) ontwikkeld. Met dit instrument kunnen de gevolgen van schadelijke chemische stoffen in grondwater in beeld worden gebracht. Het gaat om de gevolgen voor de gezondheid van mensen, voor micro-organismen in het grondwater, voor de drinkwaterwinning in Nederland en voor het oppervlaktewater. Ook kan ermee worden gecheckt of een specifiek gebruik van grondwater veilig is, bijvoorbeeld voor drinkwater uit een eigen put. Het instrument is online beschikbaar voor provincies, waterschappen en gemeenten. Voor de gezondheid gaat de tool na hoe en in welke mate mensen via verschillende ‘routes’ in contact komen met schadelijke stoffen uit grondwater. Bijvoorbeeld wanneer ze grondwater als drinkwater gebruiken of groenten eten die schadelijke stoffen via de wortels uit grondwater hebben opgenomen. Of door groenten te eten die met grondwater zijn besproeid. Ook is het mogelijk dat stoffen vanuit het grondwater verdampen en in woningen terechtkomen. In drie stappen onderzoekt de tool of de hoeveelheid van de stoffen schadelijk is. In de eerste, eenvoudige stap wordt ‘grof en streng’ bepaald of de kwaliteit van het grondwater aan de norm voldoet. Als dat niet zo is, gebeurt dat in de volgende twee stappen steeds gedetailleerder. Hiervoor worden meer berekeningen en metingen gedaan en specifiekere informatie over de locatie gebruikt. Voor de tweede en derde stap is dan ook meer kennis nodig over hoe stoffen in de ondergrond verplaatsen en hoe mensen ze kunnen binnenkrijgen. Als de kwaliteit van het grondwater niet in orde is, bepaalt de verantwoordelijke provincie, het waterschap of de gemeente of en hoe zij moeten ingrijpen. Deze mogelijkheid om te kiezen past bij de Omgevingswet, die op 1 januari 2024 gaat gelden. Een belangrijke insteek van deze wet is namelijk dat lokale overheden keuzes kunnen maken om milieuproblemen aan te pakken. Nu gelden daar wettelijke verplichtingen voor., RIVM has developed the Groundwater Risk Assessment Toolbox (Risicotoolbox grondwater, RTBgrondwater), an instrument that allows the impact of harmful chemical substances in groundwater to be identified. The instrument deals with the impact on human health, on microorganisms in the groundwater, on drinking water extraction in the Netherlands and on surface water. It can also be used to ascertain whether a specific type of groundwater usage is safe, such as groundwater drawn from a private well. In terms of health, the tool assesses how and to what extent humans come into contact with harmful substances from groundwater through various ‘pathways’. For example, when groundwater is used as drinking water, consumption of vegetables that have absorbed harmful substances from groundwater via their roots or the consumption of vegetables that have been sprayed with groundwater. Substances present in the groundwater may also evaporate and end up inside homes. The tool uses three steps to examine whether the amount of the substances is harmful. The first, simple step consists of a general but stringent assessment to determine whether the quality of the groundwater meets the standard. If this is not the case, this assessment is carried out in an increasingly more detailed manner in the following two steps. This involves more calculations and measurements being carried out as well as use of more specific information about the site. The second and third steps therefore require more knowledge on how substances are transported in the subsoil and how they can be taken up by humans. If the quality of the groundwater is not up to par, the province, water board or municipality responsible will determine whether and how to intervene. The option of choosing an intervention is in line with the Environment and Planning Act, which is expected to come into effect in 2023. A key approach as part of this Act is that local authorities are allowed to make choices in respect of tackling environme

This study, commissioned by the Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs for the Committee on Petitions (PETI) of the European Parliament, provides an overview of the legal and environmental context in which nitrogen emissions to water are measured in the EU, and how the European Commission makes sure that monitoring systems and their results are comparable throughout the EU. The study explores the development of nitrate concentrations in the EU in view of the European Green Deal and provides (policy) recommendations for EU institutions and Member States, taking into account their respective remits.

RIVM rapport:In Nederland wordt drinkwater gemaakt van grond- en oppervlaktewater. Het RIVM heeft in kaart gebracht wat de kwaliteit van het water van deze bronnen is en hoeveel er beschikbaar is om drinkwater van te maken. Beleidsmakers van het ministerie van Infrastructuur en Waterstaat (IenW) gebruiken de resultaten voor nieuw beleid. In meer dan de helft van de 216 winningen in Nederland zijn nu, of in de nabije toekomst, problemen met de waterkwaliteit of de beschikbare hoeveelheid. In 135 van de winningen worden namelijk stoffen gevonden die dit ongezuiverde water vervuilen. Door de droogte van de laatste jaren is het minder vanzelfsprekend geworden dat er in sommige seizoenen genoeg water is. Ook zorgt de droogte ervoor dat de concentraties vervuilende stoffen hoger zijn. Hierdoor moeten drinkwaterbedrijven meer doen om er schoon drinkwater van te maken. Waterschappen, provincies en gemeenten en de Rijksoverheid hebben de afgelopen jaren veel gedaan om de kwaliteit van de drinkwaterbronnen te verbeteren. Maar de kwaliteit is nog niet zoals gewenst en is de afgelopen jaren niet merkbaar verbeterd. Het doel is om met eenvoudige zuiveringstechnieken drinkwater uit de bronnen te kunnen maken. Het kost tijd voordat een maatregel een effect heeft. Dat is een van de redenen waarom de effecten van de genomen maatregelen nog niet zichtbaar zijn bij de drinkwaterbronnen. Daarnaast worden de effecten niet op dezelfde manier gemonitord en vastgelegd als de gegevens over de waterwinningen. Meer zicht krijgen op de effecten is belangrijk om op tijd extra maatregelen te kunnen nemen als dit nodig is. Daarnaast is meer duidelijkheid nodig tussen de landelijke en decentrale overheden wie waarvoor verantwoordelijk is en wat partijen van elkaar kunnen verwachten. Zij hebben een belangrijke taak om de waterkwaliteit voor de toekomst veilig te stellen., Drinking water in the Netherlands is made from groundwater and surface water. RIVM has evaluated the water quality of these sources and how much is available for the production of drinking water. Policy makers of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management will use the results of this evaluation for new policy. More than half of the 216 Dutch drinking water sources have or will have problems with water quality or quantity, currently or in the near future. Substances that pollute the raw water have been found in 135 drinking water sources. It has become less self-evident that there will be sufficient water in some seasons due to the increased drought of recent years. Concentrations of polluting substances might also increase due to droughts. The drinking water treatment facilities therefore have to put more effort into purifying the raw water. Waterboards, provinces, municipalities and the Government have done much over the last few years to improve the quality of the drinking water sources. It is however not good enough and has not improved significantly in recent years. The goal is to produce drinking water from the sources with easy treatment technologies. It takes time before the effect of measures can be seen. This is one of the reasons why the effects of the measures taken are not visible yet at the drinking water sources. Furthermore, the effects are not monitored and recorded in the same way as the data on water sources. A better understanding on the effects is important in order to take additional measures in a timely manner when necessary. In addition, more clarity is needed on the responsibilities of the national and regional governments, who is responsible for what, and what these parties can expect from each other. They have an important duty to secure the water quality for the future.

Eind oktober hoorden we dat Niek de Wit is overleden. Alhoewel Niek even niet meer bij het tijdschrift Bodem en op het RIVM in het vizier was, schrokken we. Niek is maar 64 jaar oud geworden. Niek heeft veel voor het bodembeleid in Nederland betekend. En hij publiceerde regelmatig in het tijdschrift Bodem met meer dan 10 artikelen. In de jaren negentig werkte hij bij het ministerie van VROM (nu IenW) aan bodemsaneringsbeleid en later aan de vernieuwing en verbreding van het bodembeleid, met als resultaat de Beleidsbrief Bodem in 2003.

Throughout the European Union (EU), high concentrations of nitrates and pesticides are among the major polluting components of drinking water and have potential long-term impacts on the environment and human health. Many research projects co-funded by the European Commission have been carried out, but the results often do not influence policy making and implementation to the extent that is duly justified. This paper assesses several issues and barriers that weaken the role of science in EU policy making and EU policy implementation in the case of agricultural impacts on drinking water quality. It then proposes improvements and solutions to strengthen the role of science in this process. The analysis is conceptual but supported empirically by a desk study, a workshop, and complementary individual interviews, mostly with representatives of organizations working at the EU level. The results indicate that perceived barriers are mostly observed on the national or regional level and are connected with a lack of political will, scarce instruction on the legislation implementation process, and a lack of funding opportunities for science to be included in policy making and further EU policy implementation. In response to that, we suggest translating scientific knowledge on technological, practical or environmental changes and using dissemination techniques for specific audiences and in local languages. Further, the relationship between data, information and decision making needs to change by implementing monitoring in real-time, which will allow for the quick adaptation of strategies. In addition, we suggest project clustering (science, policy, stakeholders, and citizens) to make science and research more connected to current policy challenges and stakeholder needs along with citizen involvement with an aim of establishing sustainable long-term relationships and communication flows.

Bodem en ondergrond en de diensten die zij leveren, vormen het natuurlijk kapitaal voor economie en samenleving. Ruimtelijke planvorming, landgebruik en bodemmanagement kunnen bijdragen aan oplossingen voor maatschappelijke opgaven. Wat zijn de kennisvragen om in de praktijk hierover nog betere beslissingen te kunnen nemen? Hoe kunnen we die vragen efficiënt beantwoorden?

The aim of the European Horizon-2020 co-funded coordination and support action (CSA) INSPIRATION is to adopt a funder and end-user demand-driven approach to establish and promote the adoption of a Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) for land use, land-use changes and soil management in the light of current and future societal challenges. The main objectives are 1) formulating, consulting on and revising an end-user oriented SRA; 2) scoping out models of implementing the SRA; 3) preparing a network of public and private funding institutions willing to commonly fund the execution of the SRA. INSPIRATION’s mission is to improve the supply and effectiveness of science and other knowledge take-up by decision-makers in policy, administration and business for the good of European citizens and the environment. INSPIRATION’s methodology is based on a multi-stakeholder, multi-national and interdisciplinary approach that covers the variety of interested parties (public bodies, business, science, and society) and the variety of relevant funders. The third phase of the project sees WP4 developing a trans-country and trans-discipline SRA. This report, deliverable D4.1, describes the scope and structure of this SRA. This scope and structure have been developed to build on the work of WP3 and with input from National Focal Points and members of the INSPIRATION International Advisory Board during three online workshop meetings in February 2017. The completed SRA will form the basis of a dialogue to be organized among relevant funding bodies across Europe. The dialogue will be initiated and guided by the NFPs to identify priorities in the SRA and preferred models for implementing the individual components of the SRA. The INSPIRATION SRA will help give national funders confidence that for each Euro they invest, they will get a return of multiple Euro’s worth of knowledge to address their national societal challenges. The project website contains further details about the INSPIRATION CSA

We introduce the INSPIRATION bottom-up approach for the development of a strategic research agenda for spatial planning, land use and soil-sediment-water-system management in Europe. Research and innovation needs were identified by more than 500 European funders, endusers, scientists, policy makers, public administrators and consultants. We report both on the concept and on the implementation of the bottom-up approach, provide a critique of the process and draw key lessons for the development of research agendas in the future. Based on identified strengths and weaknesses we identified as key opportunities and threats 1) a high ranking and attentiveness for the research topics on the political agenda, in press and media or in public awareness, 2) availability of funding for research, 3) the resources available for creating the agenda itself, 4) the role of the sponsor of the agenda development, and 5) the continuity of stakeholder engagement as bases for identification of windows of opportunity, creating ownership for the agenda and facilitating its implementation. Our derived key recommendations are 1) a clear definition of the area for which the agenda is to be developed and for the targeted user, 2) a conceptual model to structure the agenda, 3) making clear the expected roles, tasks, input formats regarding the involvement and communication with the stakeholders and project partners, 4) a sufficient number of iterations and checks of the agenda with stakeholders to insure completeness, relevance and creation of co-ownership for the agenda, and 5) from the beginning prepare the infrastructure for the network to implement the agenda.

Het belang van organische stof (OS) in landbouwbodems wordt doorgaans gerelateerd aan bodemvruchtbaarheid en daarmee als een belang voor agrariërs. Inmiddels begint het besef door te dringen dat OS in bodems ook andere maatschappelijke belangen kan dienen, onder meer gerelateerd aan water en klimaat.