National Institute for Public Health and the EnvironmentBilthoven, The Netherlands

National Vaccin Institute

Core facts

• Established in 1909

• Employs 1500 men and women

• Has a budget of € 180 million

• Consists of 30 labs/centres, 4 divisions

• Carries out independent research (laid down in the RIVM Act)

• Boasts 300 projects annually

The RIVM is the National Institute for Public Health and Environment

Political responsibilityand strategic decisions

Research on environment and health protection & policy support

Mission of RIVM• Development & integration of

actual scientific knowledge

• Makes this knowledge accessible for policymakers

• Facilitates policymakers

and inspectorates

• Scope: - Public Health

- Infectious Disease

- Environment and Safety

- Nutrition and Food safety

- Nature

RIVM organization chart

Director-General

Department of the Director-General and Communications

Department of Human Resources Management

Finance Department

Facilities, Management and Services

Centre for Infectious Diseases Control

Public Health and Health Services

Division

Nutrition, Medicines and Consumer Safety Division

Environment and Safety Division

Research for Policy Support

• Environment and Health- Measurement of air water and soil pollution

- Human and ecological exposure assessment

- Toxicological, human clinical and epidemiological research

- Health risk assessment

- Ecological risk assessment

- Risk management options

• Impact of contaminating substances

• Disaster control

SourceEmission

DispersionExposure

Dose & effectRisk

The source-risk chain

Our tasks within the safety chain

Prevention Preparation Response Aftercare Pro-action

All environmental risks

Laboratory for Ecological Risk Assessment (LER)

Personel LER december 2008:

43 permanent staff = 38 fte

6 temporary staff

trainees

Of whom :

40 academics

Most important policy dossiers

• Surface water and groundwater (EU Water Framework Directive)

• Soil (Policy Letter Soil, European Soil Strategy)

• Plant Protection Products

• Biodiversity

• Soil sanitation

• Chemical compounds

Most important activities

• Development ecological risk assessment methodologyPartners SEC / Alterra / RIZA / universities / international

• Development proposals environmental quality criteriaPartners SEC / SIR / LVM / IMD / Alterra / univ. / international

• Inventarisation soil sanitation operationPartners SenterNovem / local governments

• Development decision support systemsPartners Alterra / RIZA / international

LER tasksAssessment and advice on effects of different types of environmental stress, in their mutual coherence, on structure and functioning of ecosystems.Weigh up of human and ecological risks of contamination, followed by proposals of environmental quality criteria

• experimental and model research

• development of decision support systems.

expertise areas:

• exposure assessment and environmental chemistry

• ecotoxicological effects

• ecological effects (foodwebs / multistress)

• risk assessment