“A Study Focused on Your Health”: The First Study Analyzing the Public’s Perception of the Fire and Its Impact on Health

This epidemiological survey is being conducted among a representative sample of residents from 122 municipalities in Seine-Maritime affected by the accident. 4,000 adults and 1,200 children, selected at random by INSEE, will be interviewed. For the purposes of data analysis and interpretation, the study also includes 1,000 adults and 250 children selected at random in the city of Le Havre and its surroundings, defined as a control area.
The study will collect, from the individuals concerned, information on their perception of this industrial disaster and their exposure to the nuisances and pollution it generated, on the symptoms and health problems they may have experienced during the accident and in its aftermath, as well as on their current state of health.

The data collection phase via questionnaire, conducted by Ipsos, begins on September 1.

Those selected at random will receive a letter and documents explaining the study’s objectives and how to participate. They can complete the questionnaire online at the study’s dedicated website, www.sante-post-incendie-76.fr, or by phone with an Ipsos interviewer. The data collected by the study will be recorded and processed in a completely anonymous manner.

The initial results of the study will be available in late 2020 or early 2021.

Developing the study: a collaborative process combined with a scientific approach

The survey protocol and questionnaire were developed during the first half of 2020. A preliminary survey was conducted in February in four municipalities affected by the fire, representing a range of contrasting situations. Individual and group interviews were conducted with mayors, doctors, and residents. This preparatory work allowed the questionnaire to address the population’s main concerns and expectations.

The study’s design was developed through a participatory approach with the “Health Group,” a local body composed of members of the Transparency and Dialogue Committee established in Rouen by the Prefect of Seine-Maritime. It benefited from the advice of a “Thematic Support Committee” comprising, at the national level, scientific experts from outside Santé publique France. The study received a favorable opinion from the National Council for Statistical Information (CNIS) and the INSEE Label Committee. The questionnaire was tested several times by Ipsos among approximately 100 residents of Seine-Maritime.

Santé publique France’s epidemiological response to the industrial accident in September 2019

On the first day of the fire, the Normandy Regional Unit of Santé publique France organized epidemiological surveillance of short-term effects, which continued for one month.

The “Santé Post Incendie 76” epidemiological program, tasked with assessing the accident’s medium- and long-term health impacts, will enable public authorities to implement health measures, if necessary, and to better adapt the management of future industrial accidents. In addition to the health and quality-of-life study, this program includes three other components:

• Regular monitoring, over several years, of population health indicators such as the incidence of certain cancers and chronic diseases, the number and causes of deaths, and pregnancy outcomes. This concerns the 350,000 residents of the Seine-Maritime municipalities affected by the accident and will be conducted using information available in the National Health Data System (SNDS).

• Support for occupational health services to monitor the health of employees at the two affected industrial sites, professionals who responded to the accident, and employees of other companies who were exposed to the hazards generated by the fire. This support is intended to establish, based on any needs that may be identified, epidemiological surveillance of the affected workers.

• The detection and measurement, in the bodies of exposed individuals, of chemical substances dispersed by the fire. This study, known as an exposure assessment or biomonitoring study, will be conducted in particular if the results of environmental analyses show that it is feasible and relevant to measure certain biomarkers of exposure in blood, urine, or hair.