Abstract
REMERA, a French national birth-defect registry, recently identified clusters of children born with malformed limbs in three rural regions in France. Each cluster has three to eight children with malformations that include children with missing or deformed arms and hands.
The French public health department (Santé Publique France) originally suggested that these cases were not above what was naturally expected each year. Around 3-4% of children, worldwide, have a birth malformation. Although genetic, chromosomal and environmental causes – such as medicines – can account for some of these malformations, in most cases the cause is unknown.
The French public health department (Santé Publique France) originally suggested that these cases were not above what was naturally expected each year. Around 3-4% of children, worldwide, have a birth malformation. Although genetic, chromosomal and environmental causes – such as medicines – can account for some of these malformations, in most cases the cause is unknown.
Original language | English |
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Specialist publication | The Conversation |
Publisher | The Conversation UK |
Publication status | Published - 6 Mar 2019 |
Bibliographical note
Neil Vargesson would like to thank Emmanuelle Amar, Elisabeth Gnasia and members of REMERA for helpful discussions and information sharing regarding the clusters of children in France. Neil Vargesson has received no funding for this article.Keywords
- France
- Embryo
- Toxins
- Insecticides
- Herbicides