Alumna Marcia Bodero, assessor Ctgb: ‘I will always be different’

After graduating in veterinary sciences and microbiology, Marcia Bodero spent seven years working for the Chilean Food Safety Authority. However, at age 33, she wanted to go back to the classroom one more time. ‘I wanted to learn more about food safety and everything related to it. So, I was looking for a broad study programme. It rapidly became clear that a programme on food safety such as the one Wageningen offers is not available in Chile. Moreover, the master’s programmes there are strictly focussed on a single topic. A friend and fellow student of veterinary sciences was already enrolled at Wageningen, which sparked my enthusiasm to come here as well. The fact that I could follow courses in microbiology, toxicology, and food legislation appealed to me, as did the freedom to select the courses I found relevant.’

‘I liked Wageningen as a city immediately. It is not very big and situated in the centre of the Netherlands. I’m from Santiago, a city of ten million inhabitants, which is very busy. Here, everything is neat and quiet. And everything is close by, compared to Chile. I travelled across Europe during my time as a student. Distance didn’t matter; I was used to that in Chile. Because I was older and had already completed a master's degree, I also had more experience with studying. Other students were in their early twenties. They would worry a lot about exams, whereas I could put things into perspective better.’

Research on mollusca

‘After my internship and thesis with Wageningen Food Safety Research, I was offered the opportunity to pursue a PhD. My research focused on mollusca, which accumulate toxins as a result of their consumption of algae. If humans eat these mollusca with a high level of toxins, they may get sick with diarrhoea. Animal testing was used to test for these toxins, but I studied alternatives such as cell cultures and chemical analyses. These methods are now used in the Netherlands. Sadly, Chile has not yet adopted these methods because they test thousands of times more, and the alternatives are too expensive.’

‘I finalised this project in 2017, which coincided with the expiration of my residence permit as a researcher. I wanted to stay because I now had a partner in the Netherlands, which meant I required permanent residence status. That was far from easy; we were asked to confirm our relationship with pictures and an extensive questionnaire. The application was finally approved after three months.’

Integrating and working

‘I was required to take and pass the integration exam within two years for my new residence permit. The fact that I had already taken Dutch language classes with several colleagues for almost four years during my PhD was a big help. The exam required the A2 level basic command of the Dutch language, but I had already achieved the B1 level, which made it relatively easy to pass. Now I am married and have taken on the Dutch nationality.’

‘I started working for a company that handles the registration of chemical substances and switched to the Board for admissions of crop protection agents and biocides (Ctgb). This is a government agency which requires Dutch language level B2. Hence, I took more classes and passed another exam. I have been working as a scientific assessor human toxicology for biocides for five years now.

My job is extremely varied, ranging from applications for disinfectant gels for hands to fly repellents. It’s all about risk assessment, which, mind you, is not the same as danger. Fire, for example, is dangerous, but everything is fine as long as you don’t touch it. My job is to assess how poisonous something may be for humans based on the data provided. That calls for research and collaboration with similar agencies within Europe. Those discussions are what I like about this job.’

Blending in

‘I feel confident in saying I have permanently settled in the Netherlands and feel at home here. If you want to remain here after graduating, it is important to mix with the Dutch. I will always be different from those who grew up here, but that is okay. Being different is fine, even speaking with an accent. And I really love Wageningen. It is a small city which seems calm and well-organised. That helps calm my sometimes chaotic mind.’