Environmental Health: Research for Policy

What knowledge are we missing about the way our surroundings influence our health? And what research is required to fill the holes in such knowledge? These questions were posed by the Netherlands’ State Secretary for Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment when asking the Health Council to produce this report. Behind the questions was a wish to obtain the research data necessary to more effectively protect public health against harmful environmental factors and to allay unfounded concerns about environmental factors. The State Secretary was chiefly interested in the effects of physical factors, such as substances in the air, the water and the soil, ionising radiation, electromagnetic radiation and fields, and noise. Every one of these factors was referred to in the Action Plan Environmental Health: Implementing more powerful policy, presented to the Lower House of the Dutch parliament in 2002. The Action Plan Environmental Health also highlighted the importance of research into risk perception and risk communication.

Committee

The following individuals attended the working conference held on 26 November 2002 (G&O is the Dutch acronym for the Health Council’s Standing Committee Environment and Health):

• dr JA Knottnerus, President of the Health Council of the Netherlands, The Hague and professor of general practice, Universiteit Maastricht, president and chairman of G&O
• dr CJM van den Bogaard, inspector of environmental health, VROM Inspectorate, The Hague, advisor G&O
• dr JSM Boleij, directeur Board for the Authorisation of Pesticides, Wageningen, member G&O
• dr ir B Brunekreef, professor of environmental and occupational health, Utrecht University, member G&O
• dr HR Büller, professor of internal medicine, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, vice-chairman Standing Committee on Medicine of the Health Council
• drs JEF van Dongen, senior scientist, Department Environment and Health, TNO Inro, Delft
• ir ND van Egmond, professor of systems-based approaches to environmental policy, Utrecht University, member G&O
• dr VJ Feron, emeritus professor of biological toxicology, Utrecht University, member G&O
• dr JKM Gevers, professor of health law, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, vice-chairman Standing Committee on Medical Ethics and Health Law of the Health Council
• drs AEM de Hollander, scientist/project director, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven
• dr JCS Kleinjans, professor of environmental health sciences, Universiteit Maastricht
• dr NJ Leschot, professor of clinical genetics, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, vice-chairman Standing Committee on Genetics of the Health Council (not present on 26 November 2002)
• dr JWM van der Meer, professor of internal medicine,St Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, vice-chairman Standing Committee on Infectious Diseases and Immunity of the Health Council
• ms dr RM Meertens, associate professor of health promotion and health education, Universiteit Maastricht, member G&O
• dr HME Miedema, director, Department Environment and Health, TNO Inro, Delft, member G&O
• drs AAJP Mulder, directorate Occupational Safety and Health, Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, The Hague
• dr WRF Notten, director of TNO Prevention & Health, Leiden, member G&O
• dr D van Norren, professor of ophthalmic physics, Utrecht University and director of TNO Human Factors, Soesterberg, vice-chairman Standing Committee on Radiological Protection of the Health Council
• dr WF Passchier, Dep. Executive director of the Health Council, The Hague and special professor of risk analysis, Universiteit Maastricht, advisor G&O
• ms drs W Passchier-Vermeer, senior scientist, Department Environment and Health, TNO Inro, Delft
• dr HGM Rooijmans, President of the Advisory Council on Health Research, The Hague and emeritus professor of general psychiatry, Leiden University
• ir PJA Rombout, Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven
• dr EW Roubos, professor of veterinary medicine, neurophysiologist, University of Nijmegen, chairman Committee on Electromagnetic fields of the Health Council
• dr W Seinen, professor of toxicology, Utrecht University, member G&O
• ms drs BAM Staatsen, director Sector Monitoring, Centre for Environmental Health Research, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven
• ms ir WMAH Thien (not present on 26 November 2002), Prevention and Public Health Directorate, Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, The Hague
• dr MM Verberk, associate professor health and environmental factors, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterda, member G&O
• ms dr M de Visser, Vice-President Health Council, The Hague and professor of neuromuscular diseases, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, member G&O
• ms ir PW van Vliet, scientist Health Council, The Hague, scientific secretary
• ms A Wijbenga, head of Department of Strategy, Environment and Safety, Province of South Holland, The Hague, vice-chairman G&O
• dr JH van Wijnen, head Environmental Medicine, Municipal Health Service, Amsterdam, member G&O
• dr FA de Wolff, professor of clinical and forensic toxicology, Leiden Unversity, member G&O
• dr F Woudenberg, head Sector General Health Care, Municipal Health Service, Rotterdam
• prof. dr ir AA van Zeeland, professor of molecular radiation dosimetry and radiation mutagenesis, Leiden University Medical Centre
• dr JA van Zorge, Directorate of Substances, Waste and Radiation, Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, The Hague, advisor G&O

The ‘editorial working group’ that reviewed drafts of the present report consisted of:

• ms ir T Fast (Fast Advies, Utrecht)
• drs AEM de Hollander
• dr JCS Kleinjans
• dr WF Passchier, secretary&chairman
• ms drs W Passchier-Vermeer
• ms ir A Wijbenga
• dr F Woudenberg