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Publication Measurements and model results of a two-year dataset of ammonia exchange over a coniferous forest in the Netherlands(2024-12-31) Melman, EA; Rutledge-Jonker, S; Frumau, KFA; Hensen, A; van Pul, WAJ; Stolk, AP; Wichink Kruit, RJ; van Zanten, MCPublication Rabiës in Nederland: twee casussen met veterinaire en humane dilemma's(2024-09-02) van den End, Sanne; van Ewijk, Katja; Keur, Ingrid; Boreel, Jaap; van Cleef, Brigitte; Eblé, Phaedra; van Rijckevorsel, Gini; te Wierik, MargreetPublication Developing effective strategies to tackle persistent, mobile and toxic substances in the soil-sediment-water system: tools and boundary conditions from the Horizon 2020 Project PROMISCES(2024-09-09) Wuijts, Susanne; Naus, Floris; Hof, Matthias; Sardi, Adriana E; Carter, Kaitlyn; Andres, Sandrine; Narain-Ford, DominiquePublication Fostering dialogue on health risks of intensive livestock farming in the Netherlands: Combining insights from conversation analysis with the mental model approach of risk communication(2024-10-30) van Burgsteden, Lotte; Eijrond, Valérie; Claassen, Liesbeth; Timmermans, DaniellePublication Stripping down sustainability assessments for easier comparison of innovative recycling options(2024-10-23) Dekker, Erik; Quik, Joris TK; Steenmeijer, Michelle A; Lijzen, Johannes PAIn this short communication we propose a screening approach for assessing the sustainability of new recycling options. Before performing a full comparative LCA it is useful to perform a simplified LCA because of the lower data intensity. The impact categories are limited to greenhouse gas emissions and land use. As an example car tire recycling is shown. This screening approach is already useful for decision makers and can be used by stakeholders to compare innovative with the baseline technology.Publication Leveraging Data Protection Law for Protecting Workers’ Fundamental Right to Health and Safety in the Workplace: the Amazon Case(2024-06-24) Marassi, Stefania; Bolte, JohnPublication Coherentie in multi-level en multi-sector water governance([Den Haag] : Koninklijk Nederlands Waternetwerk, 2024-07-01) Goyvaerts, Valerie; Wuijts, SusannePublication Gezond water : niet vanzelfsprekend(Den Haag : Stichting Biowetenschappen en Maatschappij, 2024-09-10) Wuijts, Susanne; Erkens, Roy; van Donk, Ellen; Smit, Astrid‘Gezond water. Niet vanzelfsprekend’ geeft een overzicht van de problematiek van zoet water. Waar komt het water vandaan? Welke kringloop doorloopt water en wat betekent dit voor de beschikbaarheid van gezond water voor de natuur en de mens? Waarom is de waterkwaliteit van het water in Nederland onvoldoende, wat doen de overheden en andere betrokken partijen eraan en wat kunnen we als burger bijdragen?Publication The effect of combined exposure to noise and vibrations from rail traffic on sleep: results from the follow-up study "Living in the vicinity of the railway"(2024-10-04) van Kempen, Elise; Hoekstra, Jurriaan; Simon, Sendrick; van Wijnen, Harm; Kok, Arnaud; van Kamp, IreneAs a result of policy aims to improve accessibility and achieve climate targets, an increase in rail traffic is foreseen for a while. It is therefore expected that in the future more problems will arise due to the vibrations and noise that trains produce. It is demonstrated that most problems are caused by freight trains, predominantly tracking during the night, hence affecting sleep. Research has shown that both noise and vibrations from rail traffic can affect sleep; evidence on the impact of combined exposures is scarce. To investigate the effect of combined exposure to noise and vibrations from rail traffic on self-reported sleep disturbance, we used data from a survey aimed to investigate people's reactions on railway vibrations. In 2021, 17,189 people of 16 years and older, living within 300 meters of a railway track in The Netherlands were invited to fill in a questionnaire. Exposure to vibration and noise levels from rail traffic during the night were modelled and linked to the addresses of the 5,611 (33%) participants. We used logistic regression models to test the associations between rail traffic vibration or noise exposure and sleep disturbance for different noise and vibration exposure groups. This paper presents preliminary results.Publication The innovated national noise monitoring network in The Netherlands(2024-10-04) Lolkema, Dorien; Bouwman, Dagmar; Wartenberg, Tijmen; Kok, Arnaud; van Loon, Rob; Drukker, Derko; Haaima, Marty; Hendriks, GlennOver ten years ago, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment started monitoring noise emissions from major roads and railways in The Netherlands. Today, this monitoring program is still going strong. The measured data is used to validate the yearly reported noise production levels calculated by the Dutch road and railway authorities, to monitor trends in noise production, and to check the validity of the Dutch noise calculation method. Measurements in the entire network are performed at an altitude of four meters close to fifty meters from the major road or railway in free field as these are the requirements for the reported calculated levels. The network therefore, has to operate stand-alone, resulting in challenges in terms of power supply, datastorage and communication. Ten years ago, we started with a battery-powered network of simple and cost-effective dataloggers. Recently, we made innovations by transitioning to a solar-powered network of modern sound level meters with remote data communication. In this presentation I will give a brief history of this monitoring network, how it developed, and show you the possibilities of the present-day innovated network.Publication Railway-induced vibration combined with railway noise - a systematic review with exposure-effect curves(2024-10-04) Seidler, Andreas; Schubert, Melanie; Mehrjerdian, Yasmin; Krapf, Klaus; Popp, Christian; van Kamp, Irene; Ögren, Mikael; Hegewald, JaniceThe combined health impact of concurrent railway noise and railway vibration exposure is not yet well understood. This systematic review aimed to investigate the combined effects of vibration and concurrent noise. We converted the vibration metric to an equivalent noise level and calculated an overall noise level by energetically summing the equivalent and railway noise level. The combined health effect was determined by using published evidence-based exposure-effect formulas. Studies included in this systematic review predominately investigated annoyance and self-reported sleep disturbances; no studies on manifest diseases were identified. For the combined effects of vibration and noise on "total" annoyance, the results based on the pooled analysis of CargoVibes project are recommended as conservative approach. Our results based on epidemiological studies are corroborated by findings of laboratory studies. Converting railway vibration into equivalent noise levels in dB may offer a pragmatic approach to assess the combined health effects of railway noise and railway vibration exposure. Future studies should include cardiovascular and mental diseases in addition to vibration-induced annoyance and sleep disturbances. Furthermore, future studies should include in-depth investigations of the interaction between railway noise and railway vibration to allow for a more accurate assessment of the railway-induced burden of disease.Publication Impacts of long-term climate change on human health: a global scoping review(2024-10-28) Limaheluw, J; Hall, L; de Kraker, J; Serafim, F; Roda Husman, AIntroduction Research output on climate change and human health is growing rapidly. This can make it difficult to find and use relevant information to develop public health action. Methods We present a global scoping review of the rapidly growing quantitative research output on long-term climate change and human health. We searched Scopus, Embase, and PubMed for quantitative, English language literature published between January 2000 and June 2021 that referenced climate change and human health in titles, abstracts, or keywords. Results From 36,956 publications we identified 754 relevant studies. Europe, the Americas, and the Western Pacific were studied much more often than other WHO regions. Research on temperature and vectors accounted for 70% of all included publications. Malaria, diarrheal diseases, and cardiovascular diseases were the most studied specific health outcomes. We found very few studies on non-communicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries. Retrospective publications (153) showed effects of climate change are already occurring worldwide. Most studies on tick-borne encephalitis, malaria, and lower respiratory infections associated with air pollution found impacts caused by climate change have increased. The strongest attribution of climate change was found for heat-related impacts. In prospective publications (626) diarrheal diseases, and impacts associated with heat and chemical air pollution were most consistently projected to increase. Future vector-borne disease impacts were projected to be highly location specific. Some studies demonstrated adaptation can effectively reduce impacts, while noting that capacity to adapt differs greatly between population groups. Conclusions Our findings underline climate change impacts are diverse and complex. Future research should prioritize the relatively understudied regions most vulnerable to climate change, such as Africa, and impacts beyond those related to temperature and vector-borne diseases.Publication Why most youth comply with the social distancing measures: a qualitative study(2023-07-16) Koning, Naomi; Gorter, Annerike; Zonneveld, Michelle; van Rooij, Floor; Spruijt, Pita; van Dam, LeviAim To examine what makes youth comply with COVID-19 social distancing measures. Subject and methods This qualitative interview study explored to what extent and why Dutch youth comply with social distancing measures during the frst wave of COVID-19. All 35 participants were between 16 and 25 years old. Results Results showed that participants complied very well with social distancing measures, and that feeling solidarity with others and feeling responsible for others were most important for compliance. The participants experienced mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also mentioned positive outcomes, such as more time for hobbies. Lastly, having a natural mentor seems to be positively associated with compliance. Conclusion Most youth complied with the COVID-19 measures, but the participants also discussed the impact on their mental health of the COVID-19 pandemic. These results shed light on the reasons for compliance of youth, but also stress that the mental health of youth should be monitored when these measures are in place.Publication Global terrestrial moisture recycling in Shared Socioeconomic Pathways(2025-01-30) Staal, Arie; Meijer, Pim; Nyasulu, Maganizo Kruger; Tuinenburg, Obbe A; Dekker, Stefan CMany areas across the globe rely for their precipitation supply on terrestrial precipitation recycling, which is the amount of precipitation that has evaporated from upwind land areas. Global warming and land-use changes may affect the future patterns of terrestrial precipitation recycling, but where and to which extent remains unclear. To study how the global patterns of precipitation recycling may change until the end of the 21st century, we present a new forward-tracking version of the three-dimensional atmospheric moisture-tracking model UTrack that is forced by output of the Norwegian Earth System Model (NorESM2). We simulate global precipitation recycling in four Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) which are internally consistent combinations of climate and land-use scenarios used in the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project. The scenarios range from mild to severe, namely SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5. We compare results for the middle of the century (2050–2059) and the end of the century (2090–2099) with a 2015–2024 baseline. We also calculate basin precipitation recycling for the 26 major river basins of the world. We find that the global terrestrial precipitation recycling ratio decreases with the severity of the SSPs and estimate a decrease in this ratio of 1.5 % with every degree of global warming. However, we find differences among regions and river basins in trends in precipitation recycling and whether projected drying or wetting is mainly contributed by land or ocean. Our results give critical insight into the relative contributions of global warming and land-use changes on global precipitation changes over the course of this century. In addition, our model paves the way for more detailed regional studies of future changes in terrestrial moisture recycling.Publication Scabiësuitbraak in een algemeen ziekenhuis in NoordNederland(2024-06-01) Fens, Anneloes; Hofstra, Jorrit; van der Wier, Gerda; Bremer-Schuurman, AlidaIn de periode juli 2021 tot en met augustus 2021 vond er een scabiësuitbraak plaats binnen een ziekenhuislocatie in Noord-Nederland. De uitbraak kwam pas in september 2021 aan het licht. De indexpatiënt was een 84-jarige vrouw met de diagnose M.Alzheimer. Patiënte was immuungecompromitteerd door gebruik van topicale en systemische immuno suppressiva vanwege een huidaandoening (non bulleus pemfigoïd). Hierdoor was lang sprake van scabiës incognito en kon de indexpatiënt twee weken lang zonder isolatiemaatregelen opgenomen liggen tot haar overlijden. De uitbraak kwam aan het licht door scabiësgevallen onder personeel, waarna op basis van dossieronderzoek post mortem de diagnose ‘scabiës crustosa’ werd vastgesteld bij de index. In totaal werd bij 25 medewerkers en 26 (contact)patiënten binnen de ziekenhuisinstelling en daarbuiten besmetting vastgesteld. Een intensieve multidisciplinaire aanpak en contact met de GGD bleken noodzakelijk voor een efficiënte aanpak van deze uitbraak.Publication Een diagnostisch algoritme voor Lyme neuroborreliose(2024-03-01) van Gorkom, Tamara; Hoeve-Bakker, DienekeDe diagnostiek van Lyme neuroborreliose (LNB) is complex. Veelal wordt de diagnose gesteld op basis van klinische symptomen, ondersteund door laboratoriumdiagnostiek. Diagnostiek richt zich vooral op detectie van intrathecale Borrelia-specifieke antistofsynthese, eventueel aangevuld met andere routinematige en specifieke liquor- en serum parameters. Geen van de beschikbare parameters kan op zichzelf een actieve infectie aantonen en vooralsnog ontbreekt een gevalideerd diagnostisch algoritme voor LNB-diagnostiek. In een retrospectieve cross-sectionele studie zijn zeven commerciële antistoftesten geëvalueerd, gevolgd door een multiparameteranalyse om de toegevoegde waarde van andere liquor- en serumparameters voor LNB-diagnostiek te onderzoeken. In totaal zijn 156 patiënten geïncludeerd, van wie 10 geclassificeerd zijn als ‘zekere’, 7 als ‘mogelijke’, en 139 als ‘niet-LNB’-patiënt, gebruikmakend van Europese neurologierichtlijnen. De sensitiviteit en specificiteit van de antistoftesten varieerden respectievelijk tussen 47,1 en 100 procent en tussen 95,7 en 100 procent. Het combineren van meer parameters verhoogde de sensitiviteit (bereik: 94,1 tot 100 procent), met een geringe daling in specificiteit (bereik: 92,8 tot 96,4 procent). De belangrijkste parameter is de detectie van intrathecaal gepro duceerde Borrelia-specifieke antistoffen, gevolgd door tweestapsserologie op serum, CXCL13-concentratie in liquor, Reibergram-classificatie en pleiocytose. Concluderend wordt aangetoond dat gebruik van meerdere parameters bijdraagt aan verbeterde LNB diagnostiek. Een gezamenlijke prospectieve studie wordt voorgesteld om te onderzoeken of een gestandaardiseerd diagnostisch algoritme voor verbeterde LNB-diagnostiek kan worden ontwikkeld.Publication Screening op Borrelia-specifieke serumantistoffen : alternatieven voor de C6 Lyme ELISA(2024-03-01) Hoeve-Bakker, Dieneke; van Gorkom, TamaraDe detectie van Borrelia-specifieke antistoffen speelt een belangrijke rol in de diagnostiek van Lyme borreliose (LB). Door de nieuwe Europese richtlijn voor in vitrodiagnostiek (EU) 2017/746 zijn twee van de in Nederland meest gebruikte antistoftesten (de C6 Lyme ELISA en de Enzygnost ELISA) van de markt verdwenen. Veel laboratoria waren daarom genood zaakt hun testrepertoire aan te passen. Dit artikel beschrijft de validatie van negen antistoftesten voor de diagnostiek van LB, die onder andere zijn gekozen op basis van de verwachte beschikbaarheid met CE markering. De sensitiviteit van de geëvalueerde antistoftesten (IgG- en IgM-resultaten gecombineerd) onder 74 LB patiënten varieerde afhankelijk van de Lyme manifestatie en was lager onder patiënten met vroege LB (n = 11; 54,5-90,9 procent) dan onder patiënten met gedissemineerde LB (n = 63; 97,1-100 procent). De specificiteit onder 74 gezonde, leeftijd- en geslacht gematchte individuen varieerde van 70,3 tot 91,9 procent, en van 34,5 tot 77,1 procent onder 48 patiënten met mogelijk kruisreactieve aandoeningen. De IgM-resultaten waren heterogener dan de IgG resultaten en droegen niet bij aan de algehele (IgM+IgG) sensitiviteit. Het percentage positieve IgM resultaten in de controlegroepen was echter substantieel. Concluderend presteerden de antistoftesten voor de diagnostiek van LB vergelijkbaar, met name onder patiënten met gedissemineerde LB. Het testen van IgM droeg in deze studie niet bij aan de diagnostiek van LB.Publication Tissue cyst-based quantitative risk assessment of human toxoplasmosis from consuming pork in Denmark: A farm-to-fork approach(2025-02-07) Olsen, Abbey; Swart, Arno; Pires, Sara Monteiro; Fagt, Sisse; Møgelmose, Vibeke; Houe, Hans; Denwood, Matthew; Nielsen, Henrik Vedel; Alban, LisToxoplasma gondii is an important foodborne pathogen. The aim of this study was to develop a tissue cyst-based quantitative risk assessment model to estimate the probability of human infection with T. gondii from consuming pork in Denmark. A 'farm-to-fork' model was developed to trace the path of T. gondii infection, beginning with the true seroprevalence in pigs and proceeding to the estimation of tissue cysts in portions of pork. The model then accounted for the number of infectious portions post preparation and prior to consumption. Thereafter, the model estimated the probability of human infection from consumption of infectious portions using a dose-response model. The model predicted the prevalence of T. gondii infections in humans, with the assumption that infections did not equate clinical illness. The average estimated prevalence at the age of 75 years ranged from 58.8% to 88.8%, depending on specific model scenarios. Furthermore, the predicted prevalence was higher for portions originating from conventionally raised pigs compared to those from organic pigs. This was due to the significantly higher proportion of consumption of conventional pork compared to organic pork, and despite the per-portion risk being higher for organic pork. The model identified that undercooked pork, dry-cured sausages, and smoked products pose a risk of infection. The probabilities of human infection per portion consumed were estimated at 7.3 × 10⁻⁴, 4.7 × 10⁻⁴, and 1.2 × 10⁻, respectively. However, the actual risk posed by dry-cured sausages remains uncertain due to limited data on the effectiveness of salting applied in dry-cured sausage processing. It was epidemiologically challenging to build the model due to the lack of comprehensive data on salting processes and the complexity of accurately reflecting industry standards. The age-specific prevalence offers limited value for public health decision-making; however, attribution of risk to specific pork products and in comparing organic and conventional pork provides more actionable insights for the future.Publication Modelling the size distribution and bioaccumulation of gold nanoparticles under mixture exposure(2025-02-11) Li, Yao; Wang, Xiangrui; Liang, Dingyuan; Zhao, Xiaoli; Dong, Zhaomin; Bai, Yingchen; Wang, Wen-Xiong; Peijnenburg, Willie JGM; Wang, Ying; Fan, WenhongTo assess the bioaccumulation and toxicity of nanoparticles (NPs), analyzing and modelling the relationship between the size distribution of NPs in organisms and the exposure particle size distribution represents an important challenge. Previous studies mostly focused on the NPs with single size. However, the size distribution of NPs is wide and variable in the natural environment. There is a lack of research on the NPs with mixed sizes. This study investigated the size distribution of three gold (Au) NPs with different sizes and their mixtures within a ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila under the same number concentration of particles. Results revealed that smaller particles tended to aggregate and bioaccumulate more in cells. Using expectation-maximization algorithm, a particle size distribution model of NPs in cells was established. This model effectively simulated the size distribution of NPs with mixed sizes in cells, demonstrating high accuracy with a mean absolute error of < 0.001, a root mean squared error of < 0.001, and a correlation coefficient exceeding 0.98. Experimental results further verified that the model reliably predicted the size distribution of NPs with mixed sizes in cells, and smaller particles accounted for a larger proportion of the size distribution and bioaccumulation. These results demonstrated the importance of particle size and size distribution of NPs in their environmental effects. Models developed here can provide guidance for future evaluation of the environmental risks of NPs mixtures.Publication Human-bat contacts in the Netherlands, and potential risks for virus exchange(2025-02-15) Begeman, L; Geschiere, MJM; de Boer, WF; van den Brand, JMA; Eblé, PL; van der Kerkhof, JHTC; Keur, I; Lina, PHC; Reusken, CBEM; de Rosa, M; Schillemans, MJ; Schreuder, I; Swaan, CM; van Zoonen, K; Kuiken, TContacts between people and free-ranging animals have a potential to cause viral disease epidemics when novel viruses are exchanged. The Netherlands has approximately 18 native bat species, of which some generally use buildings for roosting, and has a dense human population. Frequent indirect and direct contacts between bats and humans could thus be expected, however, this has hardly been studied.