Odour nuisance in the Netherlands by source, 1990-2002

The number of Dutch people who suffer odour nuisance continues to fall slowly. Both Statistics Netherlands and the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) study perceived odour nuisance. The differences in the questions and the definition of the sources of odour nuisance generate different results from the two organisations.

Odour nuisance (Statistics Netherlands)

		1990	1995	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002

		%
Traffic and/or industry		23	18	15	15	15	15	13
of which	Traffic	10	8	7	7	7	7	7
	Industry	17	12	9	10	10	10	9

Agriculture		16	12	11	11	10	10
Open fires and/or multi-burners		11	10	9	9	9	8

Source: CBS (2003).		CBS/EDC/May03/0290
N.B. Odour nuisance in people aged 18 and older. Odour nuisance (in the Statistics Netherlands definition) is defined as experiencing frequent or occasional nuisance from stench, in line with the questions asked in the Permanent Onderzoek Leefsituatie (CBS, 1995). Sources of odour included in the survey are road traffic, industry or business, agriculture and open fires/multi-burners.

An annual survey conducted by Statistics Netherlands into the appreciation of the human living environment shows that, in 2002, 13% of the population in the Netherlands suffered nuisance caused by odours from road traffic and/or industry. In the early nineties, this figure was still 23%. People suffering nuisance from both sources have only been included once here. Industry was mentioned in 2001 by 9% of respondents as a source of odour nuisance; traffic was mentioned less often (7%) as a source.

The odour nuisance experienced from open fires or multi-burners has fallen slightly in recent years. Odour nuisance caused by agriculture has also fallen, from 16% in 1995 to 10% in 2002. The Statistics Netherlands survey does not ask about odour nuisance from sewers.

Severe odour nuisance (TNO)

According to the TNO questionnaire surveys, 12% of the Dutch population suffered severe nuisance from stench in 1993; the figure for 1998 was 14% (De Jong and Steenbekkers, 1999).

The TNO study also indicates that, in 1998, sewers were the main source of odour nuisance (19% nuisance and 11% severe nuisance), followed by road traffic (16% and 8% respectively), factories and retail companies/companies (9% and 4% respectively), air traffic (8% and 5% respectively) and farms and manure spreading (8% and 5% respectively).

Severe odour nuisance (TNO definition) is based on the question in the periodical TNO nuisance survey about the extent to which people perceive a certain source in the living environment as a nuisance on a ten-point scale from 1 (not at all a nuisance) to 10 (very much a nuisance). People giving answers in the 8 to 10 range are classified as experiencing 'severe nuisance'. The TNO questionnaire survey was conducted for the last time in 1998.

Policy objective

The policy objective in the Second National Environmental Policy Plan was that no more than 12% of the Dutch population would suffer odour nuisance from road traffic and industry in 2000, with agriculture being classified under industry (VROM, 1993). The percentage of 12% is based on the assessment of odour nuisance made by Statistics Netherlands.
In addition to the odour nuisance objective for 2000, another objective states that, in 2010, the Dutch population should no longer experience any severe odour nuisance. This objective is based on the severe odour nuisance measured with the TNO method.
No new objectives were set out in NEPP4 (VROM, 2001). The objective for 2010 for severe nuisance has been maintained.

Technical note

The figures for nuisance and severe nuisance are difficult to compare because of the different ways the questions are formulated and the different definitions of the sources. As a result, the Statistics Netherlands survey and the TNO questionnaire survey yield different results.

References

CBS (2003). Statline. Permanent Onderzoek Leefsituatie. Statistics Netherlands, Voorburg/Heerlen.
Jong de R.G., J.H.M. Steenbekkers and H. Vos (2000). Hinder en andere zelf-gerapporteerde effecten van milieuverontreiniging in Nederland, Inventarisatie Verstoringen 1998. TNO-PG, Delft.
VROM (1993). National Environmental Policy Plan 2. Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, The Hague.
VROM (2001). National Environmental Policy Plan 4. Working on sustainability: Where there's a will there's a world. Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, The Hague.

Relevant sections and indicators in the Environmental Data Compendium

Relevant information outside of the Environmental Data Compendium

VROM (1995). Letter to the Lower House: Herziene nota stankbeleid, voorbereiding algemeen overleg stank, 31 January 1995. Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, The Hague.
Data about odour nuisance broken down according to a number of demographic characteristics, such as gender, age, level of education, socio-economic group, composition of household and urbanisation of the municipality can be found in the Statistics Netherlands database Statline.