Children born without hands: for Yannick Jadot, it's because of the Pesticides

A disturbing increase in babies born with a malformation of the arm or hand was found in Ain, Loire-Atlantique and Morbihan. For Yannick Jadot, environmental activist and MEP, causes are environmental.

In Ain, between 2009 and 2015, seven children were born with malformations within a radius of 25 km around Druillat. In Loire-Atlantique, three children concerned between 2007 and 2008, in the town of Mouzeil. And in Morbihan, 4 children were born malformed between 2011 and 2013.

The proximity of the fields

Surveys conducted by the health agency France Public Health report that, if there is an excess of cases, there is no common risk factor identified for the moment, but that we must keep a special attention the occurrence of new cases in these regions, and everywhere in France. Yannick Jadot, head of EELV list to Europeans, hypothesizes that exposure to pesticides may be responsible. What makes him say that? Families whose babies were affected by these malformations all lived near a corn or sunflower field. This is why he is asking for an epidemiological study to shed light on these malformations.

For its part, Santé Publique France will create a national federation of six malformation registries, in order to have a common database.