Health and Environment Alliance | Press Releases: Pesticides

Glyphosate: 41 health and environment groups urge EU Commission to put an end to use of unreliable industry studies

13th October 2021

41 civil society organisations, including several of the organisers of the successful European Citizens’ Initiative #StopGlyphosate, urge EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides to guarantee that the ongoing assessment of glyphosate is based on updated independent scientific evidence and remains free from vested interests.

Revealed: EU Glyphosate assessment was based on flawed science

3rd July 2021

A new scientific analysis concludes that the European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA) claim that glyphosate is not genotoxic cannot be justified on the basis of manufacturers’ studies. Of the 53 industry-funded studies used for the EU’s current authorization of glyphosate, 34 were identified as "not reliable", 17 as "partly reliable" and only 2 studies as "reliable" from a methodological point of view.

Letter: Gouvernance et moyens de la Stratégie Nationale sur les Perturbateurs Endocriniens (SNPE)

25th June 2021

À l’occasion de la réunion du Groupe Santé Environnement (GSE) le 30 juin 2021, un collectif d’associations citoyennes, professionnelles et d’usagers, de syndicats et de collectifs, demande aux Ministres des…

Ominous first step in EU renewal process of glyphosate: 4 member states suggest no risk for human health – HEAL comment

15th June 2021

Today four EU member states (France, Hungary, the Netherlands and Sweden) released a statement proposing that glyphosate does not pose risks for human health. HEAL is concerned at such a conclusion, which is in contradiction to the scientific evidence of the association between exposure to the popular pesticide and the development of cancer.

If Europe really wants to beat cancer, it needs to drastically reduce environmental pollutants and action its Zero Pollution ambition

3rd February 2021

Today the European Commission launched the Beating Cancer Plan, marking the beginning of a new era in cancer prevention. The Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) has welcomed the ambitious plan as a major step forward to prevent cancer by preventing pollution.

Survey shows almost 50% of Belgians are unaware of health-harming endocrine disrupting chemicals in daily lives

19th November 2020

Results from a new survey published by the Belgian Independent Health Insurance Funds (Mutualités Libres / Onafhankelijke Ziekenfondsen) reveal nearly half of Belgian citizens have little knowledge of what endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are and how they can impact our health.

EU chemicals strategy: speedy implementation steps key to truly protect people’s health

14th October 2020

Environmental health advocates have welcomed today’s release of the European Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability as a major step forward in the delivery of Europe’s Zero Pollution Objective. They however insisted…

European Parliament environment committee demands a health-first approach to EU chemicals strategy

30th June 2020

The Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) applauds MEPs for supporting ambitious proposals in favour of a shift towards a ‘health and environment-first’ approach in European chemicals legislations, in order to reduce people’s exposure to mixtures of harmful substances, prevent diseases, and support the transition to a non-toxic circular economy.

HEAL requests intervention in industry legal challenge of European non-renewal of chlorpyrifos-methyl

10th June 2020

The Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) today announced having requested the right to intervene in a legal challenge recently launched against the non-renewal of pesticide active substance chlorpyrifos-methyl at the…

New science commentary: How fossil fuel-derived pesticides and plastics harm health, biodiversity, and the climate

21st May 2020

A new commentary published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology shows how three global health threats - chemical pollution (including endocrine disrupting chemicals), loss of biodiversity and climate change - are more strongly interlinked than previously thought by their common origins in fossil fuels such as coal, oil, or gas, including that derived from fracking.

A victory for future generations – European governments ban brain-harming pesticides chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-methyl

6th December 2019

Representatives from the European Member States in the EU Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (SCOPAFF) today voted to ban the neurotoxic pesticides chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-methyl from the EU market, a historic move that has been applauded by health and environment groups.

Carcinogenicity assessment was flawed for 4 out of 10 pesticides, new report shows

21st October 2019

A new PAN Germany and HEAL review of carcinogenicity assessments of pesticide active ingredients shows 40 percent of them are not carried out in compliance with existing European guidelines, leading to possible continued exposure of farmers and consumers to cancer-causing pesticides. In 30 percent of the cases significant details were missing from the dossiers, raising uncertainties about how European authorities came to a conclusion.

La déclaration de l’EFSA reconnaissant les effets nocifs du chlorpyrifos sur la santé humaine ajoute à l’urgence d’une interdiction totale

6th August 2019

La semaine dernière, l'Agence européenne de sécurité alimentaire (EFSA) a reconnu dans une déclaration publique que le chlorpyrifos est nocif pour la santé humaine et ne remplit pas les critères de renouvellement sur le marché européen[1]. Une coalition d'ONG rassemblant certaines organisations comme Health And Environment Alliance (HEAL), SumOfUs, Pesticides Action Network (PAN) Europe et PAN Allemagne et Générations Futures, salue cette déclaration, qui est un premier pas vers l'interdiction du chlorpyrifos dans les plus brefs délais.

EFSA’s statement acknowledging chlorpyrifos harm for human health adds urgency for a full ban

6th August 2019

Last week, the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) acknowledged in a public statement that chlorpyrifos is harmful to human health and does not meet the criteria for renewal on the European market [1]. A coalition of NGOs including HEAL, SumOfUs, PAN Europe, PAN Germany and Générations Futures welcomes this statement, which is a first step in order to get chlorpyrifos banned as soon as possible.

Organic diet during pregnancy means significant reduction of pesticide exposure, new study shows

17th July 2019

The results of the first ever long-term organic diet intervention study among pregnant women were published in Environment International. Researchers found that pregnant women’s exposure to pyrethroid insecticides was significantly reduced by adding organic fruit and vegetables to their conventional diets during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.

New overview of data on chlorpyrifos residues in fruit strengthens health-case for EU-wide ban

19th June 2019

Chlorpyrifos, a pesticide known for its damaging effects on children’s brain development, is among the top 15 active substances most frequently found in European unprocessed food and prominently present in fruit. This is the conclusion of a new briefing published today, bringing together all official EU data on the analysis of 791 different pesticide residues.

New overview of data on chlorpyrifos residues in fruit strengthens health-case for EU-wide ban

19th June 2019

Health effects of glyphosate can be passed down to other generations, shows new study on rodents

23rd April 2019

A new study published today finds a variety of adverse health impacts in second and third generation offspring of rats exposed to glyphosate. It is the first of its kind to look at transgenerational effects and shows how descendants of exposed offspring were more likely to develop prostate, kidney and ovarian diseases, obesity and birth abnormalities.

French farmer takes on Monsanto and wins – victory for all victims of pesticides

11th April 2019

The Court of Appeal in Lyon has ruled to hold Monsanto legally accountable for severely harming the health of Paul François, a grain farmer from France’s Charente region. Health actors are welcoming this historic win, a legal precedent in France, as a victory for all victims of pesticides.

New study calls for urgent evaluation of links between chlorpyrifos and autism development

3rd April 2019

The existing scientific evidence of the links between the brain-harming pesticide chlorpyrifos and the development of autism among children should urgently be reviewed, according to a new study published today in Environmental Health Perspectives.