Investigation into a Suspected Cluster of Illnesses in Romainville (93): Study Report Following Exposure to Trichloroethylene Resulting from Industrial Activities at Wipelec

A former metal processing plant, which operated from 1993 to 2006 and is located in a residential neighborhood of Romainville (93), has caused significant on-site contamination of the soil, soil vapors, and groundwater, particularly with chlorinated solvents. Since soil vapors are the primary pathway for the pollutant to migrate off-site, air quality is being monitored inside nearby homes, where the presence of trichloroethylene (TCE) has been detected. A health risk assessment was already conducted in 2016, and significant management measures have been implemented (sheltering, construction work, remediation, monitoring). In 2015, the Romainville Sud association informed the Île-de-France Regional Health Agency (ARS) and the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (ISP) of a survey identifying 36 health conditions among 32 residents of the neighborhood. These included cancers, birth defects, and chronic conditions. Twenty-three people had died by the time the information was collected. The Cire was commissioned by the DT 93 - ARS 93 in April 2016 to investigate this suspected cluster. The objectives of this study were to: medically validate the health signal reported by the residents’ association; compare the observed conditions with those for which an excess risk has been described in connection with inhalation exposure to TCE. This study is part of a public health initiative and does not address the individual status of persons. Indeed, an individual approach would involve studying, on a case-by-case basis, the probability of a causal association between the onset of a disease in each resident and exposure to TCE. This would then constitute a medical expert assessment that falls outside the scope of Santé publique France’s missions. The investigation began with an assessment of the environmental pollutants to which people living in the neighborhood may have been exposed. A thematic support committee, composed of three experts, was formed. It reviewed the current knowledge regarding the health impacts of human exposure to TCE. Residents of the study area were contacted individually to obtain access to their medical records. Fourteen people gave their consent, seven of whom were affected by the list of conditions reported by the association. The association’s other reports could not be validated. A review of the 14 corresponding medical records identified 27 conditions. None of these validated conditions among residents near the Wipelec site correspond to those for which an increased risk has been described in connection with TCE exposure at levels comparable to those observed in Romainville. The actions to be taken to protect public health consist primarily of measures to reduce residents’ exposure to TCE.

Author(s): Kermarec Florence, Bassi Clément

Publishing year: 2018

Pages: 25 p.

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