RIVM

Half of the people living in the Netherlands are overweight or obese, according to the newest health monitor by Statistics Netherlands, and health institutes RIVM and GGD. Among people over the age of 65, two thirds are too heavy, De Stenter reports.

People with a body mass index (bmi) of 25 or more are considered overweight. People with a bmi of 30 or more are considered obese. 14 percent of adults in the Netherlands are obese.

Dutch health institute RIVM is launching a large, long-term study on the effect noise from traffic has on the development of children. The RIVM will follow thousands of kids and their development from pregnancy to adulthood, AD reports.

Small amounts of radioactive iodine-131 found in the air above Norway, Finland, Poland, Czech Republic, France and Spain last month raised concerns across Europe. But there is no trace of the radioactive substance in the Netherlands, Dutch national health institute RIVM announced after taking careful measurements, ANP reports.

Two safe, albeit more expensive, alternatives for potentially carcinogenic rubber granules used in artificial turf were already available from two internationally operating companies in October 2015, the Volkskrant reports based on its own research.

Athletic events played on artificial turf mixed with rubber granules in the Netherlands does not significantly increase exposure to carcinogenic chemicals, states an unreleased report by Dutch health authority RIVM, according to the Telegraaf. Still, the agency recommends a wider scale international study of the rubber granules, often made by recycling automotive tires, as regulations governing the practice are inconsistent from country to country.

Dutch national health institute RIVM is turning its attention on people who do not vaccinate their children. The institute launched an additional training program for peadiatricians and is making 2 million euros available for longer conversations with parents to ease their conserns about vaccinations, the Volkskrant reports. 

Large discounts on beer attract young people and problem drinkers, according to the Dutch Institute for Alcohol Policy STAP. This in turn leads to an increase in alcoholism and crime, according to the institute. STAP is calling for the introduction of a minimum price for alcohol, RTL Nieuws reports.

To support this call, STAp has six recent studies that shows that setting a minimum price on alcohol is the best solution.

Weight loss food supplements and teas of the brands Emtea, Irem Natural and Niva Detox may contain substances also present in medicines and may therefore have serious side effects, the Dutch food and product safety authority NVWA warns.

A quarter of ground water in the Netherlands, from which drinking water is extracted, contains too high or nearly too high levels of pesticides, according to the RIVM. Minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen of Infrastructure and Environment calls it "cause for concern"

A number of amateur football clubs are cancelling matches and practices on artificial turf fields after reports that they may contain carcinogenic substances

Alcohol use costs Dutch society between 2.3 billion and 2.9 billion euros a year, according to a study by health organization RIVM in the possession of newspaper Trouw.