Impact screening on glyphosate: ‘Into the Weeds’ documentary

Think-Film Impact Production is organising a sneak-preview of ‘Into the Weeds’ documentary in Brussels on 12th of April 2023. The documentary covers the legal battle that San Francisco groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson took against Monsanto (now Bayer) for poisoning by glyphosate – the most widely used herbicide globally, which the WHO International Research Agency on Cancer (IARC) has classified as ‘probably carcinogenic‘ with ‘strong evidence’ for genotoxicity. This testimony is being shared at a critical time, as European authorities are in the process of reassessing glyphosate’s market license, which expires at the end of December 2023. 

Over the last years, HEAL and its members – such as the European Cancer Leagues – have relentlessly called on the EU authorities to ban the controversial substance and to support farmers in transitioning to safer alternatives [1,2,3]. A 2022 HEAL report showed that scientific evidence proving glyphosate’s carcinogenicity has been neglected in the EU’s hazard assessment of the substance. Learn more about glyphosate and its negative impacts on health and the environment on HEAL’s website: Glyphosate: why the EU needs to ban the popular weedkiller to protect health, and see our infographic below.

“Scientific evidence has long associated exposure to glyphosate to several health disorders and supports serious concerns about its ability to cause cancer. The story of Dewayne Johnson should yet be another wake-up call for European decision-makers, as they are re-assessing the world’s most used herbicides: glyphosate harms our health and our environment.

With regards to Europe’s pledge towards a non-toxic environment, the only way forward is to ban the substance once and for all, while accompanying farmers in transitioning to safer alternatives that already exist.” Natacha Cingottti, Health and Chemicals Programme Lead at HEAL stresses.

The screening event will be opened by a panel discussion with film protagonist Dewayne Johnson, director Jennifer Baichwal, and other experts and policy makers. Dewayne Johnson will be meeting with European decision makers to raise awareness about glyphosate during his visit to Brussels. Register for the sneak-preview taking place on April 12th 2023 18:30 – 21:30, at UGC Cinema De Brouckere, Brussels here.