Join our partner Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) for a special webinar organised in collaboration with the Ramazzini Institute, where lead scientists will present the ongoing Global Glyphosate Study, the largest and most comprehensive toxicological study ever undertaken on a pesticide.
Monday 28th June 2021, 16:00 – 17:00 CET
Glyphosate is the most widely-used pesticide in the world. Exposure to glyphosate-based herbicides has been linked to certain types of cancer, as well as to adverse effects on the development and hormonal system.
In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that glyphosate “probably causes cancer”. Yet in 2017, the health-harming pesticide was reauthorised on the European market until December 2022 by representatives of European governments. This decision was criticised heavily by civil society groups and scientists alike for lacking transparency and scientific objectivity, being predominately based on industry-sponsored studies and overlooking findings from academic independent literature.
The EU and member states are gearing up to review the current approval of glyphosate, which expires in 2022. The Global Glyphosate Study led by the Ramazzini Institute aims to provide important evidence to this process. The study brings together some of the best independent scientists from the EU and the U.S. to investigate the health impacts of glyphosate and glyphosate-based products at low, real-life exposure levels.
During the webinar, Dr Fiorella Belpoggi from the Ramazzini Institute will present the ground-breaking Global Glyphosate Study, what it aims to investigate and its preliminary results. Her presentation will be followed by a scientific panel discussion with Dr Michael Antoniou from King’s College London, to respond to key questions in relation to the toxicity assessment of glyphosate and the protection of public health.
About the speakers:
- Fiorella Belpoggi is the Scientific Director of the Ramazzini Institute where she has worked since 1981. Her research interests include short- and long-term toxicity studies on chemicals and physical agents. Dr. Belpoggi has authored more than 150 papers published on peer reviewed journals. She was invited as expert to meetings on the evaluation and safety of chemicals at the European Parliament and Commission in Brussels, at the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) in Parma and, as temporary advisor, at WHO in Bonn. She was also invited as expert for experimental in vivo studies at IARC/WHO and she was among the experts who defined the IARC priorities 2019-2024.
- Michael Antoniou, PhD is a Reader in Molecular Genetics and Head of the Gene Expression and Therapy Group, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, King’s College London School of Medicine, UK. He has 40 years’ experience of using genetic engineering technology, including genome-editing tools, in the investigation of gene organization and control, with over 130 peer-reviewed publications. His discoveries in gene control mechanisms are being used for research as well as the development of diagnostic and therapeutic products for genetic disorders. Dr Antoniou has taken an active interest in the safety of GM crops and their associated pesticides specialising in the use of molecular profiling (omics) methods to assess the potential for negative health outcomes.
The webinar will be opened by Genon Jensen (HEAL Executive Director) and chaired by Dr Angeliki Lyssimachou (HEAL Senior Science Policy Officer).
For more information or technical support, please contact ivonne@env-health.org.
