A first step towards official recognition of the link between exposure to pesticides and the appearance of brain tumors?
On Tuesday February 23, the brain tumors of two dead farmers were recognized as an occupational disease in connection with the use of certain pesticides. Concretely, this allows the families of the victims to receive financial assistance of around 7,000 euros per year.
These two decisions, still exceptional, were justified by the regional committee for the recognition of occupational diseases (CRRMP) of Nantes and the TGI of Rennes.
“A step forward for all victims”
“This is a step forward for all victims. The judicial decision is a first step towards official recognition of the link between exposure to pesticides and the appearance of brain tumors. And why not towards other pathologies outside the table, for which the presumption of imputability does not apply “, welcomes in the Obs Claire Bourasseau, in charge of mission of assistance to the victims within the association Phyto-Victimes.
The Agrican cohort, which includes 180,000 participants affiliated to the MSA, “shows higher risks of central nervous system tumors in pesticide users on certain crops (potatoes, sunflowers and beets)”, underlines in the Union Isabelle Baldi, epidemiologist at the University of Bordeaux. “In addition, links have been demonstrated with insecticides, herbicides and fungicides from the group of carbamate pesticides.” The Agrican survey thus points to a risk that can be multiplied by 3 or 4 depending on the pesticides used and the tumors concerned.
The Inserm report on pesticides
In 2013, however, Inserm published a report that does not directly associate pesticides and brain tumors. “Regarding the other cancerous locations studied, the analysis of all the studies remains difficult. Several reasons can be cited: a low incidence (testicular cancer, brain tumors and Hodgkin’s disease) or the existence of a factor of significant confusion (such as, for example, exposure to ultraviolet rays of the agricultural population, a recognized risk factor for melanoma) “, the experts wrote at the time.
On the other hand, “there seems to be a positive association between occupational exposure to pesticides and certain pathologies in adults: Parkinson’s disease, prostate cancer and certain hematopoietic cancers (non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, multiple myelomas)”, notes the report. In addition, exposure to pesticides occurring during the prenatal and perinatal period as well as early childhood seem to be particularly at risk for the development of the child.
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