Webinar: Pesticides and Parkinson’s disease: the health impacts of regulatory decisions

Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) and the Dutch Parkinson’s Association (De Parkinson Vereniging) science and policy webinar, “Pesticides and Parkinson’s disease: the health impacts of regulatory decisions”, took place on Thursday, 10 September at 17:00 CEST.

This webinar provided a space to reflect on the importance of ensuring that EU regulatory decisions on pesticides continue to secure a high level of protection for human health.

Participants heard from the world-renowned neurologist Prof. Bas Bloem (Professor of Neurological Movement Disorders, Founder Radboudumc Expertise Center for Parkinson’s & Movement Disorders), alongside Wytze Russchen, member of the Dutch Parkinson’s Association and Hélène Nicora, Director General of Parkinson’s Europe. They shared both the growing evidence linking pesticide exposure to an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease, as well as the patient perspective on the health implications of regulatory changes affecting pesticide legislation. 

We were also pleased to watch a video message from MEP Tomislav Sokol (Croatia, EPP), a longstanding advocate for stronger EU action in the area of health, who shared his reflections on the importance of evidence-based policymaking in the EU regulatory framework. On behalf of HEAL, Sandra Jen highlighted the policy implications of the Food and Feed Safety Omnibus and the importance of safeguarding health protection in the EU pesticides legislation.

Webinar recording