harmful substances

Toxins released in fire at Venlo business

Aug 7 '18 11:10

A fire broke out at a coating company in Venlo during the early hours of Tuesday morning. Hazardous substances were measured in the smoke released. The air alarm in Venlo was sounded and an NL-Alert was issued, warning local residents to stay out of the smoke, keep their windows and doors closed, and turn off their ventilation, NU.nl reports.

A slight amount of sulfur dioxide was measured, which can cause eye irritation, breathing problems and swallowing problems. There were also reports of formic acid released by the fire, but this turned out not to be the case.

Smoking at least twice as harmful as stated on packages: health institute

Jun 13 '18 08:39

Health Top Stories

Smokers inhale much higher doses of harmful substances than is stated on their cigarette packages, according to a study by Dutch public health institute RIVM. The researchers found that the amount of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide is at least twice as high as manufacturers claim, ANP reports.

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Blood tests offered to people living around Dordrecht chemical plant

Sep 22 '17 10:05

Nature Health

People who lived around the Chemcours, formerly DuPont, chemical plant between 1970 and 2012 can go for a free blood test next month. This applies to people who lived in areas contaminated by harmful substances from the factory for at least a year, State Secretary Sharon Dijksma of Infrastructure and environment said to the Tweede Kamer, ANP reports.

Galapagos environmental disaster stopped by Dutch team

Aug 4 '14 14:59

Nature

Dutch salvaging team Mammoet Salvage has prevented large-scale environmental damage in the Galapagos Islands, together with a Chilean partner. The team came to the rescue after a freight ship from Ecuador ran aground close to the harbor of San Christobal in May.

Shell explosion damage "significant"

Jun 5 '14 09:48

The damage left after the explosion of a reactor and subsequent fire at the Shell site in Moerdijk are "significant", according to Shell Moerdijk director Paul Buijsingh. There may be millions of euros in damage. Buijsingh is expecting that the recovery will take a long time.

Untamed fire in Poeldijk spreads

May 5 '14 07:43

A big fire raged in four company buildings in Poeldijk on Sunday. The buildings were laid to ruin, and the fire, which broke out in the evening, is still not under control according to a spokesperson for the fire department. Attempts to extinguish it could still go on for several hours.