The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), is a governmental research institute. The institute provides information on , amongst other, environmental and health risks. The primary contractors’ information demands (national government) are served well. But does the risk information available from the RIVM correspond well enough to the desires and requirements of other parties concerned e.g. citizens, civil servants, government, industry.
This explorative study focuses on the information demand and supply with regard to the health consequences of the emissions of a chemical plant in the Netherlands. At the end of 2015 the case of PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) caught attention in the Netherlands. This was due to a series of studies performed around a plant of DuPont in Parkersburg, USA. In response a series of studies on PFOA (and GenX) have been performed covering a wide range of topics: e.g. on air, (drinking)water and soil quality, literature review and a human biomonitoring study. This represents a large amount of information but can citizens keep up with it?
The aim is to assess the information need of relevant parties and to design a communication tool by which the available information may be communicated in a comprehensible way.
For this case, the information supply will be determined by listing the available risk information in RIVM reports and other sources like municipal health authorities and municiplaities involved. Based on information need of different parties, (e.g. citizens, civil servants, government, but at least citizens) a communication strategy will be designed and communication tools will be developed.
The results so far will be presented and discussed.