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This author has written 857 articles

Chlorpyrifos-methyl: unpacking the history behind the EU ban and court case

On 4 October 2023, the European Court of Justice ruled that the 2019 EU-wide ban of the health-harming pesticide chlorpyrifos-methyl remains in force. This blog revisits the long road that led to the decision to ban the substance from the European market in 2019, delves into the related health stakes, and explores the legal challenge that followed the ban. 
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Press Note: Glyphosate: failed Member States’ vote shows it is impossible to ignore science – European Commission called to drop its proposal

The European Commission failed to get enough support for its proposal to reauthorise the use of glyphosate, the world’s most widely used pesticide which is associated with risks of cancer and other health disorders, for another ten years. It is the second time in two months that EU governments fail to reach the required majority to adopt the Commission’s plans. HEAL urges the European Commission to withdraw its proposal for a renewal based on the amount of scientific evidence warranting serious health impacts.
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Opinion: How industry can launder a health-risking substance: Titanium dioxide should remain classified as carcinogenic within the EU

Titanium dioxide (TiO2), often used for its whitening capacity and found in daily products such as sunscreens and cosmetics, is suspected of causing cancer. But the hazard classification of the substance as a suspected carcinogen has been a long and winding road, with the scientific and political battle culminating in a legal row at the European Union’s highest court—to the detriment of citizens and workers - Natacha Cingotti writes for Social Europe.
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Presseinformation: 8. November 2023 – EU Mitgliedstaaten vor wichtiger Entscheidung zu Luftqualität und Gesundheitsschutz

Die Abstimmung über die Verhandlungsposition der EU-Mitgliedsstaaten ist für diese Woche Mittwoch im Ausschuss der Ständigen Vertreter (COREPER) vorgesehen. Erst wenn die EU-Mitgliedsstaten ihre Verhandlungsposition festgelegt haben, können die sogenannten Trilogverhandlungen zwischen Mitgliedstaaten, Europaparlament und EU-Kommission  beginnen und der Zeitplan für die Novellierung gehalten werden, damit die Revision der Richtlinie bis vor den Europawahlen abgeschlossen ist.
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Health organisations urge EU member states to adopt their clean air negotiating position

In view of ongoing deliberations on the revision of the EU’s Ambient Air Quality Directive (AAQD), health organisations representing the European health sector, including medical doctors, healthcare professionals, patient organisations and health insurance funds, urge member states to act on the unacceptably high health burden from air pollution and to adopt a negotiating position this week, so that the AAQD trilogues can start, and the revision process can be concluded before the 2024 EU elections
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Webinar (recordings): Reducing the urban burden of disease: from science to policy action

On #WorldCitiesDay 2023, the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) held a special webinar on the latest evidence on how people’s health in cities is affected by air pollution, noise, lack of green space, climate change, and inequalities, and how policy makers can respond to these health threats. The recordings in English, German and Polish are now online.
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Joint letter to German environment minister calling for more ambition on clean air

The German Medical Association (Bundesärztekammer), the German Climate and Health Alliance (Deutsche Allianz Klimawandel und Gesundheit (KLUG)) and HEAL have sent a letter to German environment minister Steffi Lemke regarding the revision of the Ambient Air Quality Directive (AAQD). The organisations call on the minister to improve the European Commission's proposal, by upping the ambition of the legislation...
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Celebrating 20 years of HEAL

Twenty years ago, I realised that environmental pollution is linked to ill health and serious acute and chronic diseases, like cancer, asthma and respiratory diseases. This is when I launched into my environmental health journey and founded HEAL. It became clear to me that our ways of living and the environmental pollution resulting from that impacted our health. I wanted to know more about the impacts and the extent, how much of it was preventable, and what role and power policy-making could have in it....
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