Award-winning U.S. journalist and author Carey Gillam to present public lecture at Laurier’s Brantford campus

Oct. 17, 2019

Brantford – Award-winning American journalist and author Carey Gillam will cast a critical eye on pesticides, science and industry when she presents a public lecture at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Brantford campus Oct. 22. The event is hosted by the university’s Department of Criminology.

Gillam, author of Whitewash: The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer, and the Corruption of Science, will speak about her investigation into the Monsanto trials, which have seen thousands of people file suit against American agricultural chemical producer Monsanto Company, which was purchased by Bayer AG in 2018. The lawsuits allege that exposure to the company’s products caused them or their family members to develop cancer.

Gillam is the research director for U.S. Right to Know, a non-profit investigative research group focused on the food and chemical industries and how their interests impact food products. In her book, Gillam uses interviews and research to detail how corporate interests influence science in American agriculture, specifically in the case of Monsanto herbicides.

“Gillam will share how far corporations will go to put profits ahead of public safety and discuss key information revealed through recent lawsuits,” says Dan Antonowicz, an associate professor in Laurier’s Department of Criminology.

Gillam’s free public lecture will take place Oct. 22 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Research and Academic Centre West, Room 202, 150 Dalhousie St., Brantford. Seating is limited. Whitewash: The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer, and the Corruption of Science will be available for purchase at the event through the Stedman Community Bookstore.