What impact do the ppesticides do they have on our health, and more particularly on that of our children ? The answer to this question has become a public health issue. Although several studies have recently shown the risk of domestic exposure and professional to these substances during the pregnancy on the health of children, data remains limited concerning the risks for the youngest living near agricultural plots treated with these same pesticides.
In order to advance knowledge on the subject, researchers from the Cress laboratory (Inserm and Paris Cité University) carried out a study, in collaboration with Santé Publique France, to answer a question: children living near vines Are they more likely to develop acute leukemia – a blood cancer?
Strong regional disparities
To answer this question, scientists studied two groups of children: 3,111 sick children who had leukemia between 2006 and 2013, as well as 40,196 non-sick children. “Their residential address was recorded and combined with a map of vineyard areas,” explains Stéphanie Goujon, researcher at Inserm and co-responsible for the Geocap program. The scientists then defined a circular perimeter around each home to measure the presence of vines within 1,000 meters of the residence address. If the researchers decided to focus on viticulture, it is because the use of pesticides is very high and the plots are more easily identifiable.
In total, 10% of the children had vineyard plots less than 1,000 meters from their address, but the researchers noted strong regional contrasts. If in certain regions, such as Brittany or Ile-de-France, the number of non-sick children living near vineyards was around 0%, it rose to 38% in Occitanie and 21% in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and New Aquitaine.
No proven link between proximity to vines and leukemia
LThe research team first sought to find out if there was a link between the proximity of the place of residence to vines and leukemia in children under 15 years old. Scientists have shown that the risk does not increase with the simple presence of vines less than 1,000 meters away.
How to explain this result? For Stéphanie Goujon, the proximity of the place of residence is not relevant if the surface area of the vineyard is not taken into account. “There are small plots or really on the edge of 1,000 meters. We therefore put in the same group children who have large areas of vines and others who have very weak ones. The association will therefore be diluted. »
Greater risk for neighbors of large wine plots
To measure the possible link more precisely, the researchers therefore looked at children living near a large vineyard area, by analyzing the area under vines in the 1,000 meters around the residence.
Result: the researchers observed a slight increase in the risk of leukemia depending on the total surface area. For every 10% increase in the area covered by vines within the 1,000 meter perimeter, the risk of lymphoblastic leukemia increases by almost 10%. “We highlight a moderate increase in the risk of leukemia,” analyzes Stéphanie Goujon.
Future more in-depth research
But if among children living near large vineyards, the risk of developing leukemia is higher, these results cannot be transposed individually. A child who lives on an area 100% occupied by vines will not necessarily have leukemia.
“Already because this figure of 100% is almost never observed,” explains the researcher, “but also because there are surely plenty of other exposures that can interfere. » In addition to pesticides, children are potentially exposed to other risk factors for various pathologies, such as air pollutants, medications, dietary imbalances, ultraviolet radiation or genetic factors.
“We will continue our work,” assures Stéphanie Goujon. Several ongoing studies are investigating the link between acute leukemia and proximity to other types of culture. Others are interested in other types of cancer, such as central nervous system tumors, the second most common cancer in children after leukemia. » The latter is a rare disease in children, with an incidence of 45 cases per million children per year. In France, around 500 leukemias are diagnosed each year among young people.