THE ESSENTIAL
- Five young people from the small town of Saint-Rogatien developed pediatric cancers between 2008 and 2016. The neighboring town of Périgny also has three cases of the same ilk.
- To try to find the cause of these pediatric cancers, an atmospheric study has just started.
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In the south-west of France, five young people from the small town of Saint-Rogatien developed pediatric cancers between 2008 and 2016. The neighboring town of Périgny also has three cases of the same ilk. In 2019, an Inserm research funded by the League against cancer concluded “that an excess of risk could not be ruled out for 0-24 year olds. ”
To try to find the cause of these pediatric cancers, an atmospheric study has just started. Launched by the urban community of La Rochelle, it will measure for seven months the repercussions of local industrial activities on children’s health, focusing on an asphalt company and a composting platform.
Cocktail effect
Agricultural activity could also be involved. Research carried out last year in the plain of Aunis concludes: “Among the 106 molecules sought on this site, 33 molecules were detected, including 12 fungicides, 17 herbicides and 4 insecticides. This site has a large number of molecules detected and an average weekly accumulation of concentrations greater than on the four fixed sites in the region, in particular concerning herbicides. “ Fabienne Pierre, from the Avenir santé environnement association, explains on France 3: “We want to know if there is a cause and effect relationship in all of this; we are afraid of a cocktail effect. ”
An independent laboratory will analyze the hair of sick children in parallel. “We are in the process of completing the collection ”, specifies Fabienne Pierre, who also wonders about possible other Saint-Rogatien elsewhere in France.
A story similar to Sainte-Pazanne
Last year, the parents of Sainte-Pazanne, 30 km from Nantes, took action on a similar issue. In this town of 6,500 inhabitants, six cases of pediatric cancer have occurred since December 2015, and six other young patients have been reported in neighboring towns.
In addition to pediatric cancers, concentrations of children born without hands have been identified in three French regions (Ain, Morbihan and Loire-Atlantique).
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