Statement of the Collegium Ramazzini

Our plain-English summary of Statement of the Collegium Ramazzini, by M. Soffritti, P.J. Landrigan (American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2004).

The study

• Authors: M. Soffritti, P.J. Landrigan
• Journal: American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Published: 2004;46(1):88
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

In plain English

This item is not a research study. It is a statement by the Collegium Ramazzini, described as an international, independent, academic organization dedicated to occupational and environmental health. It was published with a letter dated March 19th, 2004, that the authors sent to Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on behalf of the Collegium's 190 Fellows. The letter concerned Fernanda Giannasi, a Brazilian federal labor inspector who had spoken out publicly against the hazards of asbestos to Brazilian workers. The Collegium had made her a Fellow in 2000, partly for her leadership of the "Virtual Ban Asbestos Network" in Latin America. The letter stated that she was being sued by Almir Pazzianotto Pinto, an ex-Minister of Labor, who claimed one of her publications insulted his honor. It said that the judge appointed to the criminal case seemed to be in prison on corruption charges from Operation Anaconda. The authors also wrote that they understood Labor Ministry officials had ordered her to stop workplace inspections and stay in the Sao Paulo office. The authors asked the President to intercede so she could carry out her duties again. The item contains no health data.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Organizational statement and open letter (not a research study)
• Who was studied: One person: Fernanda Giannasi, a Brazilian federal labor inspector and Fellow of the Collegium Ramazzini. The letter was written on behalf of the Collegium's 190 Fellows from 35 countries.
• Exposure: No exposure was studied. The statement refers generally to the hazards of asbestos to Brazilian workers, which the inspector had spoken out against. No fiber types are named.
• Main results:
  • The Collegium honored Fernanda Giannasi as a Fellow in 2000, citing in part her leadership of the "Virtual Ban Asbestos Network" in Latin America
  • The letter stated that the inspector was being sued by a former Minister of Labor who claimed one of her publications insulted his honor
  • The letter stated that it seemed the judge appointed to the criminal case was in prison on corruption charges brought as part of Operation Anaconda
  • The authors wrote that they understood Labor Ministry officials had ordered the inspector to cease workplace inspections and remain confined to the Labor Ministry office in Sao Paulo
• The authors' conclusion: The authors called the criminal case against the inspector a scandal and asked the President of Brazil to intercede so that she could resume her duties

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Collegium Ramazzini.

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