Government has poor insight into exposure of Dutch people to chemical substances | Health

According to the Health Council, there is currently no good data to monitor and improve policy. Measurements are taken in, for example, the air, water and food. But it is not clear how many substances penetrate a body.

Therefore, the government should regularly examine the blood and urine of at least fifteen hundred people. Such measurements were made in the Netherlands until 1997.

The government stopped the measurements because “the costs did not outweigh the benefits”. Exposure to chemicals also decreased. According to the Health Council, this is now “no longer applicable”.

When measurements are taken again in people, risk groups can also be found. These are, for example, residents of certain neighborhoods. The elderly, children, pregnant women and people with chronic conditions may also be more sensitive to exposure than others.

According to the Health Council, for example, measurements could be made for pfas. This group of harmful substances is used, among other things, for non-stick pans, water-repellent clothes and fire-fighting foam. Pfas are linked to cancer, increased cholesterol and reproductive problems.

Substances such as lead, cadmium, mercury and crop protection products could also be included in a measurement program.

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