Science Café presents Dr. Dina Lopez on “Reflection of Use of Agrochemicals: Illness vs. Food Supply” on Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 5 p.m. in the Baker Center Front Room.
The United States uses 1.1 billion pounds of pesticides annually. On average, 3.5 pounds of pesticides are used per every inhabitant of the nation.
“The use of agrochemicals is a big problem in the world. Excessive use of herbicides and pesticides is making people more susceptible to illness and causing long-term negative effects on the environment,” says Lopez, Professor and Chair of Geological Sciences at Ohio University. She will discuss ideas on how to solve this important problem and the government’s role in using agrochemicals.
“The government doesn’t forbid a chemical until it has complete knowledge that it is bad. I believe that if we even have suspicion that a chemical is bad for your health, we need to stop the application until complete proof that is not affecting our health and the environment. But that isn’t happening,” Lopez said.
The event will be live-streamed on Wednesday and archived, and the online audience is invited to submit questions.
Café events are free and open to students, faculty and staff. Both cafés are venues for students to share their interests informally during a conversation exchange in a friendly setting. The Science Cafe is hosted by Dr. Sarah Wyatt, Professor of Environmental & Plant Biology and Vice President of the Ohio University Chapter of Sigma Xi. The two series are sponsored by the Ohio University chapter of Sigma Xi and the Office of the Vice President for Research. Find the Science Café on Facebook and Twitter.
Comments