Conducted by ATMO Nouvelle-Aquitaine, an atmospheric study has just begun in Saint-Rogatien to understand the occurrence of numerous pediatric cancers.
- 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 an attempt to find the cause of these pediatric cancers, an atmospheric study has just begun.
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, Inserm research funded by the League Against Cancer concluded “that an excess of risk could not be ruled out for 0-24 year olds.”
In an attempt to find the cause of these pediatric cancers, an atmospheric study has just begun. Launched by the urban community of La Rochelle, it will measure for seven months the repercussions of local industrial activities on the health of children, focusing on an asphalt company and a composting platform.
Cocktail effect
Agricultural activity could also be involved. A research carried out last year in the plain of Aunis concludes: “Among the 106 molecules searched 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 a higher average weekly accumulation of concentrations than on the four fixed sites in the region, particularly with regard to 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 this; we are afraid of a cocktail effect.”
An independent laboratory will simultaneously analyze the hair of sick children. “We are in the process of completing the collection”, specifies Fabienne Pierre, who also wonders about possible other Saint-Rogatien elsewhere in France.
A similar story in Sainte-Pazanne
Last year, the parents of Sainte-Pazanne, 30 km from Nantes, mobilized for a similar problem. In this town of 6,500 inhabitants, six cases of pediatric cancers 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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