Fiorella Belpoggi

Nicotine contributes nearly all the alkaloid content of tobacco plants. Historically, human exposures were associated with smoking, chewing, or sniffing various forms of tobacco, and abundant literature details the adverse effects of chronic exposures to these tobacco products. Less attention has been given, however, to understanding the specific r...

The cancer hazard associated with lifetime exposure to radiofrequency radiation (RFR) was examined in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats at the Ramazzini Institute (RI), Italy. There were increased incidences of gliomas and cardiac schwannomas. The translational relevance of these rare rat tumors for human disease is poorly understood. We examined the geneti...

This chapter contains details on 12 unsaturated halogenated hydrocarbons. The considered chemicals are 1,3‐dichloropropene (DCP), cis ‐ and trans ‐1,2‐dichloroethylene (DCE), dichloroacetylene (DCA), allyl chloride (AC), hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD), β‐chloropropene, vinylidene chloride (VDC), vinyl chloride (VC), vinyl bromide (VB), vinyl fluoride (...

Background Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) are the world’s most widely used weed control agents. There has been intense and increasing public health concern about glyphosate and GBHs since the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen in 2015. Aims To further study the health effects of gly...

The potential health consequences of glyphosate-induced gut microbiome alterations have become a matter of intense debate. As part of a multifaceted study investigating toxicity, carcinogenicity and multigenerational effects of glyphosate and its commercial herbicide formulations, we assessed changes in bacterial and fungal populations in the caecu...

The term toxicant-associated fatty liver disease (TAFLD) has been proposed to describe fatty liver diseases connected to toxicants other than alcohol. Aflatoxins are mycotoxins commonly found as contaminants in foods and feeds, which are known liver toxicants and potential candidates as potential causes of TAFLD. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) was administere...

Background In a previous study, we found that 45% of public playgrounds near intensively managed agricultural areas were contaminated with mainly endocrine active pesticide residues in spring. Here, we investigated potential contamination over the course of a year. Methods Residue data were analyzed from 96 grass samples collected in spring, summe...

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Whether glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) are more potent than glyphosate alone at activating cellular mechanisms, which drive carcinogenesis remains controversial. As GBHs are more cytotoxic that glyphosate, we reasoned they may also be more capable of activating carcinogenic pathways. We tested this hypothesis by comparing the effects of glyphos...

The potential health consequences of glyphosate-induced gut microbiome alterations have become a matter of intense debate. As part of a multifaceted study investigating toxicity, carcinogenicity and multigenerational effects of glyphosate and its commercial herbicide formulations, we assessed changes in bacterial and fungal populations in the caecu...

Conference paper

Background Flaws in the science supporting pesticide risk assessment and regulation stand in the way of progress in mitigating the human health impacts of pesticides. Critical problems include the scope of regulatory testing protocols, the near-total focus on pure active ingredients rather than formulated products, lack of publicly accessible infor...

Introduction: Glyphosate, an amino acid analog of glycine, is the most widely applied organophosphate pesticide worldwide and it is an active ingredient of all glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs), including the formulation “Roundup. ” While glycine is an essential amino acid generally recognized safe, both epidemiological and toxicological in vivo a...

The cancer hazard associated with exposure to cell phone radiofrequency radiation (RFR) was examined using lifetime exposure in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats at the Ramazzini Institute (RI), Italy. There were increased incidences of gliomas in the brain and schwannomas in the heart. In order to understand the translational relevance of these rat tumors...

Health effects of pesticides are not always accurately detected using the current battery of regulatory toxicity tests. We compared standard histopathology and serum biochemistry measures and multi-omics analyses in a subchronic toxicity test of a mixture of six pesticides frequently detected in foodstuffs (azoxystrobin, boscalid, chlorpyrifos, gly...

Whether glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) are more potent than glyphosate alone at activating cellular mechanisms, which drive carcinogenesis remains controversial. As GBHs are more cytotoxic that glyphosate, we reasoned they may also be more capable of activating carcinogenic pathways. We tested this hypothesis by comparing the effects of glyphos...

Human exposure to glyphosate has become ubiquitous because of its increasing agricultural use. Recent studies suggest endocrine disrupting effects of glyphosate. Specifically, in our work in rodents, low-dose early-life exposure to Roundup® (glyphosate-based herbicide) lengthened anogenital distance (AGD) in male and female offspring. AGD is a mark...

Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) can disrupt the host microbiota and influence human health. In this study, we explored the potential effects of GBHs on urinary metabolites and their interactions with gut microbiome using a rodent model. Glyphosate and Roundup (equal molar for glyphosate) were administered at the USA glyphosate ADI guideline (1.7...

BACKGROUND: There is intense debate on whether glyphosate can inhibit the shikimate pathway of gastrointestinal microorganisms, with potential health implications. OBJECTIVES: We tested whether glyphosate or its representative EU herbicide formulation Roundup MON 52276 affects the rat gut microbiome. METHODS: We combined cecal microbiome shotgun m...

Human health effects from chronic exposure to mixtures of pesticide residues are little investigated. We compared standard histopathology and serum biochemistry measures and multi-omics analyses in an in vivo subchronic toxicity test of a mixture of six pesticide active ingredients frequently detected in foodstuffs (azoxystrobin, boscalid, chlorpyr...

Lymphomas and leukaemias involving the lung have in some cases been hard to distinguish from respiratory tract infection in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats from long-term bioassays. In order to differentiate between tumours and immune cell infiltrates, updated pathological criteria and nomenclature were used and immunohistochemistry (IHC) was applied to h...

Phthalates are commonly included as ingredients in personal care products such as cosmetics, shampoos and perfumes. Diethyl phthalate (DEP) has been found to be anti-androgenic and linked with adverse reproductive effects on males, but effects on females are poorly understood. We designed an integrative and translational study to experimentally exa...

Background The presence of pesticides in honey and related products is an increasing concern for consumers and producers, although there is lack of data on the current burden of exposure of the general human population through these products. We present a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of contamination to insecticides, herbicide...

Background Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) have previously been considered safe to humans. However, emerging evidence indicates that GBHs can disrupt the host microbiota and influence human health. To build upon our previous findings of gut dysbiosis and other adverse health effects resulting from low-dose exposure of GBHs (glyphosate and Roundu...

There is intense debate as to whether glyphosate can interfere with aromatic amino acid biosynthesis in microorganisms inhabiting the gastrointestinal tract, which could potentially lead to negative health outcomes. We have addressed this major gap in glyphosate toxicology by using a multi-omics strategy combining shotgun metagenomics and metabolom...

In response to the recent review by Gillezeau et al., The evidence of human exposure to glyphosate: A review, Environmental Health 1/19/19, here we report additional glyphosate biomonitoring data from a repository of urine samples collected from United States farmers in 1997–98. To determine if glyphosate exposure could be identified historically,...

An IARC Advisory Group to Recommend Priorities for the IARC Monographs during 2020–2024 met in Lyon, France, on 25–27 March 2019. IARC periodically convenes such Advisory Groups to ensure that the Monographs evaluations reflect the current state of scientific evidence relevant to carcinogenicity. Before the meeting, IARC solicited nominations of ag...

The proliferation of cellular antennas and other radiofrequency radiation (RFR) generating devices of the last decades has led to more and more concerns about the potential health effects from RFR exposure. Since the 2011 classification as a probable carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), more experimental studies hav...

Safety concerns on the toxic and carcinogenic effects of formalin exposure have drawn increasing attention to the search for alternative low risk fixatives for processing tissue specimens in laboratories worldwide. Alcohol-based fixatives are considered some of the most promising alternatives. We evaluated the performance of alcohol-fixed paraffin-...

Background Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) are broad-spectrum herbicides that act on the shikimate pathway in bacteria, fungi, and plants. The possible effects of GBHs on human health are the subject of an intense public debate for both its potential carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic effects, including potential effects on the endocrine system T...

Background and aim of the work: Long Term Carcinogenicity Bioassays (LTCB) are among the best instruments to strengthen the evidence on which regulatory agencies base their decision to classify harmful agents as human carcinogens, so they are fundamental to protect public health. The statistical analysis is essential to validate the results from ca...

Background and aim: Findings from laboratory animals as well as human studies suggest that Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) cause a number of reproductive health outcomes. Rats have been used extensively for developmental and reproductive physiology and endocrinology research and a number of endocrine sensitive endpoints have been well establi...

Background: Glyphosate, formulated as Roundup, is the world's most widely used herbicide. Glyphosate is used extensively on genetically modified (GM) food crops designed to tolerate the herbicide, and global use is increasing rapidly. Two recent reviews of glyphosate's health hazards report conflicting results. An independent review by the Interna...

Breast development occurs through well-defined stages representing 'windows of susceptibility' to adverse environmental exposures that potentially modify breast cancer risk. Systematic characterization of morphology and transcriptome during normal breast development lays the foundation of our understanding of cancer etiology. We examined mammary gl...

Background Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) are broad-spectrum herbicides that act on the shikimate pathway in bacteria, fungi, and plants. The possible effects of GBHs on human health are the subject of an intense public debate for both its potential carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic effects, including its effects on microbiome. The present pilo...

Background: Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) are the most widely used pesticides worldwide, and glyphosate is the active ingredient of such herbicides, including the formulation known as Roundup. The massive and increasing use of GBHs results in not only the global burden of occupational exposures, but also increased exposure to the general popu...

Background: Up to now, experimental studies on rodents have failed to provide definitive confirmation of the carcinogenicity of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELFEMF). Two recent studies performed in our laboratory on Sprague-Dawley rats reported a statistically significant increase in malignant tumors of different sites (mammary...

The scientific program of the 2nd DiMoPEx Conference includes lectures, short oral presentations and posters presented by scientists from 26 countries covering a broad spectrum of topics. The topics are related to the topics of the 7 DiMoPEx working groups. WG1 (Exposure assessment), WG 2 (Toxicology, Management and Risk Assessment of Chemicals), W...

Background: In 2011, IARC classified radiofrequency radiation (RFR) as possible human carcinogen (Group 2B). According to IARC, animals studies, as well as epidemiological ones, showed limited evidence of carcinogenicity. In 2016, the NTP published the first results of its long-term bioassays on near field RFR, reporting increased incidence of mal...

The WHO has ranked environmental hazardous exposures in the living and working environment among the top risk factors for chronic disease mortality. Worldwide, about 40 million people die each year from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) including cancer, diabetes, and chronic cardiovascular, neurological and lung diseases. The exposure to ambient pol...

This is “Supplementary material” to the manuscript: “Diagnosis, monitoring and prevention of exposure-related non-communicable diseases in the living and working environment: DiMoPEx-project is designed to determine the impacts of environmental exposure on human health” by Lygia Therese Budnik, Balazs Adam, Maria Albin, Barbara Banelli, Xaver Baur,...

Schikowsky et al.conducted a cross-sectional study of 207 selected asbestos workers from a power plant with a mean exposure of 49 (0.1-844.9) fiber-years, mean exposure duration of 21.4 (1-42) years, and a mean latency period of 36.2 (13-60) years. Their results include a statistically significant association of Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced...

The spice turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) has a long history of use as an anti-inflammatory agent. The active component curcumin induces a variety of diverse biological effects and forms a series of degradation and metabolic products in vivo. Our hypothesis is that the field of toxicogenomics provides tools that can be used to characterize the mode of...

FEDER et al. provide misleading findings that fail to refute the generally accepted tenet that chrysotile asbestos fibres are not biopersistent in the human lung. Neither their clinical nor their statistical analyses, nor the literature, support their claims.

EU-COST DiMoPEx Action is based on developing new concepts for a better understanding of health-environment interactions in the etiology of non communicable diseases. DiMoPEx partners have identified some of the emerging research needs, which include the lack of evidence-based exposure data, the need for human-equivalent animal models implying huma...

In-flight incidents called “Fume Events” are associated with a range of symptoms among those exposed, mostly among susceptible airline crew members. Despite currently ongoing ambient monitoring studies, there are no systematic investigations using clinical or human biomonitoring data to evaluate the direct impact of possible harmful substances on h...

Background: Research addressing the links between environmental exposures and disease prevalence is key for preventing of the increase in non-communicable diseases (NCD; http://dimopex.eu/NCD)morbidity and mortality. However, because of their long latency and chronic course of some diseases and the necessity to address cumulative exposures over ver...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1289/EHP419.].

Along the line of the recent research topic aimed at understanding the in vivo activity of mineral fibres and their mechanisms of toxicity, this work describes the morpho-chemical characteristics of the mineral fibres found in the tissues of Sprague-Dawley rats subjected to intraperitoneal/intrapleural injection of UICC chrysotile, UICC crocidolite...

Exposure to environmental chemicals has been linked to altered mammary development and cancer risk at high doses using animal models. Effects at low doses comparable to human exposure remain poorly understood, especially during critical developmental windows. We investigated the effects of two environmental phenols commonly used in personal care pr...

Abstract Studying adverse health outcomes related to exposures in the living and working environment, related to life style and as a consumer, is a major societal challenge today. Until recently, the scientists have spent much time looking for the genetic underpinnings of diseases, now it’s time to start looking closer at the environment and focus...

Aneuploidy, defined as structural and numerical aberrations of chromosomes, continues to draw attention as an informative effect biomarker for carcinogens and male reproductive toxicants. It has been well documented that aneuploidy is a hallmark of cancer. Aneuploidies in oocytes and spermatozoa contribute to infertility, pregnancy loss and a numbe...

Mineral fibres like fibrous amphiboles and erionite are among the most feared minerals worldwide because they may provoke fatal lung diseases, such as mesothelioma, through inhalation. The close relationship between inhaled fibres and respiratory diseases have been demonstrated by many scientific works (Davis, 1989) but the mechanisms of cyto- and...

The consequences of ubiquitous exposure to environmental chemicals remain poorly defined. Non-targeted metabolomic profiling is an emerging method to identify biomarkers of the physiological response to such exposures. We investigated the effect of three commonly used ingredients in personal care products, diethyl phthalate (DEP), methylparaben (MP...

Metabolites significantly changed at the different developmental windows. (XLSX)