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They decided to overcome the
"disappointment"
and
"anger"
towards the lack of involvement of the health authorities.
Above all, they made the choice to override studies deemed
"biased"
to
"move the lines"
.
The members of the collective Stop aux cancers de nos enfants, born in March 2019 after the succession of pediatric cancers in an area of about fifteen kilometers around the town of Sainte-Pazanne (Loire-Atlantique), have chosen to go further far in their fight and search for answers.
To do this, next May they are going to create a citizen institute for prevention and environmental health research.
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An
"innovative"
project and a structure that wants to be
"unique"
in France.
“The idea is to start from a known health problem, the cancers of our children, to try to understand the causes which are at the origin”
, deciphers with Le
Figaro
, Marie Thibaud, the spokesperson of the collective.
Deploring the
"non-existent environmental studies in terms of the 'cocktail effect' of the accumulation of pollution"
, the collective is counting on the institute to fill this gap.
For this, he will make available to him the many data he has already collected on the quality of soil, air, water or even electromagnetic fields in the geographical area concerned.
From 19 to 25 cases of cancer identified
Between May 2015 and May 2021, the collective Stop aux cancers de nos enfants identified 25 cases of pediatric cancers in an area of fifteen kilometers around Sainte-Pazanne.
For its part, Public Health France, which conducted an epidemiological study, counted 19 cases.
According to this organization, there is no “cluster” in the area concerned and nothing has made it possible to identify a “common cause” for the different cases.
Scientific council of ten people
“Our collective, in conjunction with certain researchers already involved, has reached its limits. Scientists need to work together, to cross-reference their results to establish possible correlations
,” she explains.
The institute will thus have the function of better coordinating their actions.
The second component, which does not only concern the Sainte-Pazanne sector, will be that of prevention in order to
“raise awareness among the populations and elected officials”
of the existing environmental risks and encourage them to take
“corrective measures”
to try to limit them. .
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If the collective of parents will be part of the board of directors, the structure, with associative status, wants to be
“independent and autonomous”
.
It will also be composed of a citizen council and a scientific council.
This includes researchers from Inserm or the Nantes campus of the Gustave-Eiffel University.
Two general practitioners from the Sainte-Pazanne sector are also involved.
To organize all this, a manager will be recruited to coordinate and animate the structure.
“The ideal would be to have three employees but it is too ambitious for the moment.
At the beginning, there will be only one person with scientific knowledge”
, indicates Marie Thibaud.
The operation of the citizen institute is valued at 100,000 euros per year.
Financial support from local authorities
A considerable sum that exceeds the means of the collective of parents.
If he is going to mobilize these last funds from donations collected via an online kitty – always accessible – he could not have aspired to this project without the mobilization of local authorities.
Among them, the Department of Loire-Atlantique is heavily involved.
It will contribute up to €60,000 per year for a period of three years, i.e. €180,000 in total.
For its president Michel Ménard (PS) it was obvious:
“I had committed myself to it during my campaign.
This project is carried out seriously and with a thoughtful approach.
It is legitimate to support it.”
Two eco-citizen institutes in France
In France, there is already an eco-citizen institute for knowledge of pollution.
It has been established since 2010 in an industrial area of Fos-sur-Mer (Bouches-du-Rhône).
Another is also in the making in the Arve valley, at the foot of Mont-Blanc.
“Their approach is the opposite of ours.
They start from the pollution observed to find out if it has an impact on the health of the inhabitants of the impacted sectors”
, specifies Marie Thibaud.
For him, this funding in no way reflects any
"distrust of public authorities"
and the epidemiological investigation carried out by Public Health France.
It is rather a support for a
"complementary action"
, like the Telethon or Sidaction for other causes,
"to not only be in compassion but in action"
with the families affected. of the territory.
The Department that will not sit on the Board of Directors may also get involved by providing environmental data or the public laboratory Inovalys, of which it is one of the funders.
“If in research the result is by definition uncertain, I hope families will get answers”
, he believes.
As for the Pays de la Loire Region, if it has not planned to pay subsidies in 2023, it would be ready to act as intermediaries between the institute and other researchers or laboratories.
Premises made available
Local intermunicipalities (Pays agglo Pays de Retz and Sud Retz Atlantique) also support this initiative.
The municipality of Machecoul-Saint-Même will provide premises for the institute.
If their precise location is not yet known, it is a
“large enough space to organize meetings and meetings”
, suggests Marie Thibaud.
Alban's mother, who suffered from leukemia shortly before she was four years old in 2015, wants to be confident in the future and
the "progress"
made possible by the creation of the institute.
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“We have already received requests to participate in calls for research projects even though our structure has not even been created.
This demonstrates that there is a real desire to move forward on the subject of environmental factors in the risk of cancer and the needs that go beyond our territory
,” she underlines.
Expectations that reinforce the objective in sight:
“We hope that this citizen institute will represent the good health of the children of tomorrow.
»
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