It will be launched in the Sainte-Pazanne sector, where parents affected by the cancer of their children founded a collective in 2019. A citizen institute for prevention and research in environmental health will see the light of day in Loire-Atlantique, in the month of May. It will be presented on Wednesday in Pornic for the international day on pediatric cancers, after the broadcast of the short film “Concerned”, inspired by the story of this collective Stop the cancers of our children (SCE).
“We wanted to transform our anger into something constructive,” said Marie Thibaud, co-founder of the collective, whose son had declared leukemia at age 4. “This open-air laboratory is intended to carry out research on the links between health and the environment and to provide local elected officials with tools for prevention,” she said. Investigations carried out by the Regional Health Agency (ARS) and Public Health France had not made it possible to conclude that there was a “cluster” of pediatric cancers in this territory located between Nantes and Pornic nor to identify “a common cause” to these diseases. The SCE collective, which identifies 25 pediatric cancers in this sector between 2015 and 2021, had continued the investigations by appealing for donations.
Scientists from all walks of life
This research will now take place within this citizen laboratory under the leadership of scientists from all sides, including doctors. They will be able to rely on the many data gathered by the collective: soil, water, air studies, samples from children’s hair… This project is reminiscent of the Eco-citizen Institute for the knowledge of pollution established in 2010 in the industrial zone of Fos-sur-Mer (Bouches-du-Rhône). “In the United States, it is common for laboratories to be born around very localized pollution”, indicated Laurence Huc, director of toxicology research and member of the scientific council of the future institute. “In France, we are less used to working on small samples,” she added.
The laboratory’s budget amounts to more than 100,000 euros for 2023, financed by private donations (individuals, foundation of the Family Mutual) and public aid (60,000 euros from the Loire-Atlantique department, premises provided by the town hall of Machecoul -Saint-Même, regional research support).