France launches investigation after abnormal rates of baby hand and arm deformations
- Abnormal rates of deformations were detected in certain parts of the country
- Some environmentalists have claimed pesticides could be to blame, but no scientific evidence at this point backs up the claim
France has launched a nationwide inquiry into incidents of babies being born with either missing or malformed hands or arms after abnormal rates of deformations were detected in several regions of the country, a top public health official said on Wednesday.
Francois Bourdillon, head of the Public Health France agency, told RTL radio that the investigation was “underway” and the results would be known “in about three months”.
“Nothing is being hidden from you,” he assured listeners.
Confidence in the state’s handling of the issue took a blow on Monday night when health authorities reported an additional 11 cases in the Ain area near the Swiss border between 2000 and 2014 which had not previously been made public.
A relatively small number of cases have been detected so far – about 25 over the past 15 years in Brittany, Loire-Atlantique and Ain – but the defects have caused public alarm and been widely reported by the French media.
Officials had already said the number of cases in Brittany and the Loire-Atlantique areas, on France’s west coast, were statistically “excessive” and Health Minister Agnes Buzyn had vowed to investigate further.