Toxic beginnings: Babies exposed to pesticides in the womb

The scientific evidence is mounting. In its latest report published in 2021, France's public health institute (Inserm) established a link between pesticide exposure – particularly during pregnancy and early childhood – and a higher risk of childhood cancer.

"I believe we have enough evidence to consider a ban on pesticides," says Dominique Tripodi, head of the department of occupational health at Nantes University Hospital.

The hospital recently launched a new programme dedicated to children whose illness could be linked to their parents' pesticide use. Tripodi is in charge of assisting patients who wish to file an official request for compensation.

In 2020, the French government created a special fund for victims, effectively recognising the dangers posed by the chemicals. The fund was recently extended to infants in utero.

Laure Marivain, a former florist, became the first beneficiary in 2023. The fund recognised that her exposure to pesticides while pregnant contributed to the death of her daughter.

"Who could imagine there would be so many different substances, and that all those substances would enter my body and poison the daughter I was carrying?" she asks. 

Emmy was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukaemia when she was four years old. She passed away seven years later.

Crossing the placental barrier

Research shows that pesticides can cross the placenta, accumulate in foetal tissues – especially the brain – and trigger serious, often irreversible illnesses.

"It's one of the few chemicals we produce specifically to kill living organisms," explains Karen Chardon, a professor of neurophysiology and deputy director at the Peritox Laboratory in Amiens. "From the start, it was reasonable to worry about its potential harmful effects on humans."

Peritox is the only lab in the world to study how toxic environments disrupt vital systems in infants, from preconception through to the first days of life. Their findings are alarming: 85 percent of newborn stool samples studied contained at least one of the 20 pesticides tested.

Protecting mothers and children

Medical experts recommend that pregnant and breastfeeding women limit their exposure to pesticides, for their own health and that of their child.

Couples trying to conceive are also advised to take precautions, avoiding pesticides at work and opting for a varied organic diet.

"Knowing the link between pollutants and paediatric conditions, and seeing children every day with a cleft lip and palate, I feel compelled to inform parents," says Pierre Corre, a maxillofacial surgeon at Nantes University Hospital.