Warning: Buying These Bananas Can Cause Cancer to Poor Workers in Ecuador - A Story of Globalized Pollution and How the Planetary Health Field Wants to Save Us All

Pollution constitutes one of the greatest and most neglected threats to human health and is the world’s leading risk factor claiming nine million deaths per year. Moreover, 94% of deaths attributed to pollution occur in low- and middle-income countries. In addition, pollution is not contained within the political and social boundaries of any single nation, as pollutants can travel large distances and our daily activities and consumption choices generate pollution in other countries. For example, pesticides from agricultural runoff are currently one of the major sources of chemical contamination and the growing demand for imported agricultural goods may increase the exposure of marginalized populations working or living in the proximity of crops that rely heavily on pesticides use. In this talk, Federico Andrade will explore pesticide exposure as a global issue closely interconnected with health equity and environmental sustainability. Based on his current engagement in a North-South research collaboration, he will discuss the insights of the emergent approach of planetary health and its challenges to study the relationship between human health and environmental change.