After a diploma in industrial chemistry in 1964 at the E. Molinari Tecnical High School in Milano, he wins a fellowship at the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research were he works through 1973 at the Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology in the field of drug metabolism and analytical chemistry. In 1974 after obtaining a degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Milano he joins the Institute of Lipid Research, Baylor College of Medicine in Houston USA as Visiting Assistant Professor in Biochemistry were he works on the development of mass spectrometry based methodologies for the detection of toxic compounds. In 1975 he joins as permanent staff member the Laboratory of Mass Spectromety at the Mario Negri Institute in Milano  were he develops new quantitative techniques for the trace analysis of xenobiotics. In 1976 he is involved as coordinator of a group of research in the risk assessment activities following the dioxin accident at Seveso; two years later he leads the new Laboratory of Environmental Pharmacology and Toxicology at the Mario Negri Institute in Milano with research interests devoted to the study the presence of xenobiotics in the environment and their effects on biological systems. During the following 10 years the laboratory grows to a staff of more than 30 research personnel with research activities ranging from the development of sophisticated analytical techniques to identify and monitor the presence of pollutants of emerging concern, such as persistent halogenated compounds, to the use of molecular tools to identify biomarkers of exposure and effect in the general population and their application in epidemiology studies and risk assessment.
In 1997 Dr. Fanelli is nominated Head of the Department of Environmental Health Science at the Mario Negri Institute were he is coordinating the research activities of 4 laboratories and 2 units (Molecular Toxicology, Analytical Biochemistry, Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology,Mass Spectrometry, Food Toxicology, Animal Care) working on different aspects of the effect of environmental toxic compound on animal and human health.
Dr. Fanelli has been a coordinator of national(National Research Council) and international (NATO) research projects and is a partecipant of a project of the 5th Framework program (EU) on endocrine disruptors.
He has been Temporary Advisor of the World Health Organization for the problem of dioxin incinerator emissions.
Dr. Fanelli is author of more than 250 scientific papers published in peer reviewed international journals and organizer of international symposiums in the field of environmental risk.
 

Dr. Fanelli’s experience in risk assessment has been acquired first in the occasion of the Seveso accident  were he gained knowledge on the methodologies to evaluate human and wildlife  exposure to the environmental dioxin released during the accident to correlate exposure, acute toxic effects recorded and potential long term effects to be monitored. In this occasion he contributed also to calculate “safe” dioxin environmental levels to be reached through suitable decontamination measures of the environment. When few years after dioxins were discovered to be a problem involving the general population and not only local situations he was working on the same line measuring the exposure due to the impact of major sources (waste incinerators) and their effect on the surrounding environment. This line of interest is still alive due to the renewed concern for the previously undervaluated endocrine effects of dioxins and related compounds and the presence of substantial amounts of these compounds in the general population diet.
The second type of experience in risk assessment is bound to the partecipation as a member to the Member of the National Consulting Board for Plant Products Authorization . The consulting Board evaluates critically the dossiers proposed by the notifier companies, gives opinions for the completeness of the available information, on the acceptability of the risk for the humans and non target species and on the requirement for new studies to be conducted. Dr. Fanelli partecipation at the board has so far produced more than one hundred opinions. The Board is also taking care of the implementation of the Uniform Principles for Plant Product Evaluation under the 91/414  EU directive to  obtain uniform criteria of evaluation through the European Union. In this respect Dr. Fanelli has partecipated as national expert to the preparation of several specific chapters (ecotoxicology) of Monographs (Rapporteur Member State Italy) on active substances to be evaluated under the 91/414 Directive and has also acted as coordinator of a complete Monograph ( active substance Metiram) organizing the work of various experts in specific fields. As part of this regulatory organization Dr. Fanelli has partecipated  to several European Meeting (ECCO) as  National Rapporteur.
Dr. Fanelli has been recently appointed to  the “Scientific panel of environmental pollutants in the food chain “ at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).