Risk-driven supervision and enforcement: ranking undesirable events in the soil management chain

Bij werkzaamheden met grond, bijvoorbeeld om wegen en dijken aan te leggen, wordt de grond onder andere gekeurd, gesaneerd of verplaatst. Deze werkzaamheden kunnen negatieve effecten hebben op de gezondheid, het milieu, de economie en het welbevinden van mensen, zoals stress door geluidoverlast. Het RIVM heeft 258 van deze werkzaamheden met negatieve effecten vastgesteld. Een voorbeeld van deze 'ongewenste gebeurtenissen' is dat niet is gecontroleerd of een sanering goed is uitgevoerd. Of dat een partij vervuilde grond illegaal is vermengd met schone grond, zodat hij toch te gebruiken is. De grond kan ook door weersomstandigheden verwaaien. Experts uit tal van overheidsorganisaties en het bedrijfsleven hebben de ongewenste gebeurtenissen gerangschikt op de impact die ze hebben. Van de twintig meest ongewenste gebeurtenissen is bij ten minste een derde bewust de regels niet opgevolgd (fraude). Het merendeel van de ongewenste gebeurtenissen heeft te maken met de opslag van partijen grond, vermenging van grond en de beoordeling van de kwaliteit van partijen grond, om te bepalen waarvoor het mag worden gebruikt. Dit blijkt uit onderzoek van het RIVM. Met deze kennis kan Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport (ILT) het toezicht en de handhaving gericht op werkzaamheden met grond zo efficiënt mogelijk samen met haar ketenpartners uitvoeren.When working with soil, for example for road or dyke construction, amongst other things the soil may be inspected, remediated or moved. These activities can have negative effects on public health, the environment and the economy as well as on human welfare, such as stress due to noise nuisance. RIVM (the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) has identified 258 such activities with negative effects. Examples of these 'undesirable events' is the failure to check whether remediation work has been carried out properly or whether a batch of contaminated soil has been illegally mixed with clean soil so that it can be reused. Weather conditions can also result in soil being blown away. Experts from numerous governmental bodies and the commercial sector have ranked the undesirable events in order of their impact. In at least a third of the twenty most undesirable events, the rules have been deliberately disregarded (fraud). The majority of the undesirable events are related to the storage of quantities of soil, mixing batches, and the assessment of the quality of batches of soil in order to decide what it may be used for. This has been shown by RIVM research. Together with its partners in the chain, the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) can use this knowledge to carry out its supervision and enforcement duties as efficiently as possible.Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transpor

Risicogestuurd toezicht en handhaving: Ranking ongewenste gebeurtenissen in de bodemketen

Bij werkzaamheden met grond, bijvoorbeeld om wegen en dijken aan te leggen, wordt de grond onder andere gekeurd, gesaneerd of verplaatst. Deze werkzaamheden kunnen negatieve effecten hebben op de gezondheid, het milieu, de economie en het welbevinden van mensen, zoals stress door geluidoverlast. Het RIVM heeft 258 van deze werkzaamheden met negatieve effecten vastgesteld. Een voorbeeld van deze 'ongewenste gebeurtenissen' is dat niet is gecontroleerd of een sanering goed is uitgevoerd. Of dat een partij vervuilde grond illegaal is vermengd met schone grond, zodat hij toch te gebruiken is. De grond kan ook door weersomstandigheden verwaaien. Experts uit tal van overheidsorganisaties en het bedrijfsleven hebben de ongewenste gebeurtenissen gerangschikt op de impact die ze hebben. Van de twintig meest ongewenste gebeurtenissen is bij ten minste een derde bewust de regels niet opgevolgd (fraude). Het merendeel van de ongewenste gebeurtenissen heeft te maken met de opslag van partijen grond, vermenging van grond en de beoordeling van de kwaliteit van partijen grond, om te bepalen waarvoor het mag worden gebruikt. Dit blijkt uit onderzoek van het RIVM. Met deze kennis kan Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport (ILT) het toezicht en de handhaving gericht op werkzaamheden met grond zo efficiënt mogelijk samen met haar ketenpartners uitvoeren

Individual variation in temporal relationships between exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields and non-specific physical symptoms: A new approach in studying ‘electrosensitivity’

Background: Everyday exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) emitted from wireless devices such as mobile phones and base stations, radio and television transmitters is ubiquitous. Some people attribute non-specific physical symptoms (NSPS) such as headache and fatigue to exposure to RF-EMF. Most previous laboratory studies or studies that analyzed populations at a group level did not find evidence of an association between RF-EMF exposure and NSPS. Objectives: We explored the association between exposure to RF-EMF in daily life and the occurrence of NSPS in individual self-declared electro hypersensitive persons using body worn exposimeters and electronic diaries. Methods: We selected seven individuals who attributed their NSPS to RF-EMF exposure. The level of and variability in personal RF-EMF exposure and NSPS were determined during a three-week period. Data were analyzed using timeseries analysis in which exposure as measured and recorded in the diary was correlated with NSPS. Results: We found statistically significant correlations between perceived and actual exposure to wireless internet (WiFi - rate of change and number of peaks above threshold) and base stations for mobile telecommunications (GSM+UMTS downlink, rate of change) and NSPS scores in four of the seven participants. In two persons a higher EMF exposure was associated with higher symptom scores, and in two other persons it was associated with lower scores. Remarkably, we found no significant correlations between NSPS and timeweighted average power density, the most commonly used exposure metric. Conclusions: RF-EMFexposure was associated either positively or negatively with NSP Sinsome but not all of the selected self-declared electro hypersensitive persons. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2018.08.06

Progressive advancement in mean arrival date (± SE) with age at the population level.

<p>For 310 <i>Larus fuscus</i> from a Belgian breeding colony spanning 13 annual cycles (solid bold trendline). Numbers refer to sample sizes. Male (n = 179) and female (n = 53) trendlines are depicted by solid and dashed thin lines respectively. Pre- and post-recruitment arrival data are depicted by open and filled symbols, respectively.</p

Relationship between breeding experience and mean arrival date (± SE).

<p>211 <i>Larus fuscus</i> from a Belgian breeding colony spanning 10 breeding cycles were grouped by whether they prospected (n = 150) or not (n = 61) and depicted by filled and open symbols, and dashed and solid trendlines, respectively (upper panel). The lower panel shows the same individuals grouped by successive stages of sexual maturity. The box and whiskers plots represent the distribution of arrival dates for each group, with means (solid lines), 10% and 90% (whiskers), and 25% and 75% (box) quartiles Numbers refer to sample.</p

Individual variation in temporal relationships between exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields and non-specific physical symptoms : A new approach in studying ‘electrosensitivity’

Background: Everyday exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) emitted from wireless devices such as mobile phones and base stations, radio and television transmitters is ubiquitous. Some people attribute non-specific physical symptoms (NSPS) such as headache and fatigue to exposure to RF-EMF. Most previous laboratory studies or studies that analyzed populations at a group level did not find evidence of an association between RF-EMF exposure and NSPS. Objectives: We explored the association between exposure to RF-EMF in daily life and the occurrence of NSPS in individual self-declared electrohypersensitive persons using body worn exposimeters and electronic diaries. Methods: We selected seven individuals who attributed their NSPS to RF-EMF exposure. The level of and variability in personal RF-EMF exposure and NSPS were determined during a three-week period. Data were analyzed using time series analysis in which exposure as measured and recorded in the diary was correlated with NSPS. Results: We found statistically significant correlations between perceived and actual exposure to wireless internet (WiFi - rate of change and number of peaks above threshold) and base stations for mobile telecommunications (GSM + UMTS downlink, rate of change) and NSPS scores in four of the seven participants. In two persons a higher EMF exposure was associated with higher symptom scores, and in two other persons it was associated with lower scores. Remarkably, we found no significant correlations between NSPS and time-weighted average power density, the most commonly used exposure metric. Conclusions: RF-EMF exposure was associated either positively or negatively with NSPS in some but not all of the selected self-declared electrohypersensitive persons

Ecological momentary assessment study of exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields and non-specific physical symptoms with self-declared electrosensitives

The main objective of the study is to determine if non-specific physical symptoms (NSPS) in people with self-declared sensitivity to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF EMF) can be explained (across subjects) by exposure to RF EMF. Furthermore, we pioneered whether analysis at the individual level or at the group level may lead to different conclusions. By our knowledge, this is the first longitudinal study exploring the data at the individual level. A group of 57 participants was equipped with a measurement set for five consecutive days. The measurement set consisted of a body worn exposimeter measuring the radiofrequency electromagnetic field in twelve frequency bands used for communication, a GPS logger, and an electronic diary giving cues at random intervals within a two to three hour interval. At every cue, a questionnaire on the most important health complaint and nine NSPS had to be filled out. We analysed the (time-lagged) associations between RF-EMF exposure in the included frequency bands and the total number of NSPS and self-rated severity of the most important health complaint. The manifestation of NSPS was studied during two different time lags - 0–1 h, and 1–4 h - after exposure and for different exposure metrics of RF EMF. The exposure was characterised by exposure metrics describing the central tendency and the intermittency of the signal, i.e. the time-weighted average exposure, the time above an exposure level or the rate of change metric. At group level, there was no statistically significant and relevant (fixed effect) association between the measured personal exposure to RF EMF and NSPS. At individual level, after correction for multiple testing and confounding, we found significant within-person associations between WiFi (the self-declared most important source) exposure metrics and the total NSPS score and severity of the most important complaint in one participant. However, it cannot be ruled out that this association is explained by residual confounding due to imperfect control for location or activities. Therefore, the outcomes have to be regarded very prudently. The significant associations were found for the short and the long time lag, but not always concurrently, so both provide complementary information. We also conclude that analyses at the individual level can lead to different findings when compared to an analysis at group level. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2019.104948 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-bolte-0856134

Impact of increasing the blend ratio of biodiesel on engine emissions associated toxicity : A quick scan by RIVM and TNO

Er zijn geen sterke aanwijzingen dat het bijmengen van FAME ("Fatty Acid Methyl Ester") biodiesel tot 7 vol%1 en HVO ("Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil") biodiesel tot 30 vol% zal leiden tot significante toename van schadelijke uitstoot van het wegverkeer. Deze conclusie is gebaseerd op de beperkte toxicologische gegevens die suggereren dat er slechts kleine of verwaarloosbare veranderingen optreden in het toxiciteitsprofiel als gevolg van het bijmengen van biodiesel. Het gebruik van biodiesel/petroleum dieselmengsels kunnen worden toegepast om de Nederlandse doelstelling voor duurzame energiebronnen te halen. De gevolgen voor de gezondheid door veranderingen in de samenstelling van de motoruitstoot is onzeker. Om het potentiële effect van het verhogen van de mengverhouding van FAME en HVO biodiesel op de menselijke gezondheid te onderzoeken, is in opdracht van het Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Milieu onderzocht wat de veranderingen van de toxiciteit van de uitstoot zal zijn. De beoordeling is gebaseerd op literatuurstudies van zowel gemeten schadelijke componenten als toxicologische studies. Vanwege technische beperkingen van personenvoertuigen met een roetfilter zal het percentage FAME biodiesel zeer waarschijnlijk niet meer dan 7 vol% kunnen worden. Hogere percentages biodiesel tot 30 vol % kunnen met HVO biodiesel worden bereikt. De beperkte emissie- en toxicologische gegevens leveren geen sterke argumenten om een aanzienlijke verhoging van de toxiciteit van de uitstoot bij een mengsel tot 7 vol% FAME biodiesel te verwachten. Onderzoeken met HVO zijn zeer schaars. De verwachting is dat HVO mengsels tot 30 vol% minder toxische uitstoot veroorzaken vanwege de structurele overeenkomsten in de koolwaterstoffen en de hogere zuiverheid ten opzichte van op aardolie gebaseerde diesel. Deze aanname moet worden bevestigd door toxicologische studies. Bovendien zijn de gevolgen voor de toxiciteit van uitstoot van voertuigen bij hogere biodiesel blend percentages ( > 30 vol%) momenteel niet duidelijk, noch kan een kritisch percentage worden geïdentificeerd waarbij de giftigheid van de uitstoot zijn maximum bereikt. Daarnaast wordt voorspeld dat de motoruitstoot de komende jaren fors zal afnemen als gevolg van de meest recente emissiewetgeving. Slechts een klein percentage van de daling zal het resultaat van de vervanging van aardolie diesel voor biobrandstof zijn. Al met al, suggereren de beschikbare gegevens dat het niet waarschijnlijk is dat de hoeveelheid schadelijke emissies aanzienlijk zal toenemen door het mengen van lage percentages van deze twee soorten biodiesel, hoewel dit wordt omgeven door onzekerheid vanwege ontbrekende gegevens.There are no strong indications that mixing FAME (Fatty Acid Methyl Ester) biodiesel up to 7 vol%2 and HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) biodiesel up to 30 vol% will result in significant increase in harmful emissions by road traffic. This conclusion is based on the limited toxicological data suggesting low or negligible changes in the hazard profiles upon blending biodiesel. The usage of biodiesel/petroleum diesel blends can be applied to achieve the Dutch targets for the use of renewable energy. However, the implications for human health due to changes in the composition of the engine exhaust is uncertain. To examine the potential impact of increasing the blend ratio of FAME and HVO biodiesel on human health, the engine emission associated toxicity has been examined by order of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment. The assessment was based on literature of both measured harmful components as well as on toxicological studies. Due to technical limitations of light duty vehicles with diesel particulate filter FAME biodiesel will most likely not exceed 7 vol%. The residual amount of biodiesel percentage up to 30 vol% will be HVO biodiesel. Based on the limited available emission and toxicological data there are no strong arguments to expect a substantial increase of the toxicity of the exhaust using a blend of 7 vol% FAME biodiesel. Studies with HVO are very scarce. HVO blends up to 30 vol% are expected to produce a less toxic exhaust due to the structural similarities in the hydrocarbons and the higher purity compared to fossil fuel. This assumption needs to be confirmed by toxicological studies. Furthermore, the implications for the hazard of engine exhaust from vehicles at higher biodiesel blend percentages (>30 vol%) is at present not clear nor can a critical percentage be identified at which the toxicity of the exhaust reaches its maximum. In addition, it is predicted that engine emissions will substantially decrease in upcoming years due to the latest emission legislation. Only a small percentage of the decrease will be the result of the replacement of petroleum diesel for biofuel blends. Altogether, the available evidence suggest that it is not likely that the amount of harmful emissions will increase substantially by blending low percentages of these two types of biodiesel, although this is surrounded by uncertainty due to a data gap