Investigation into a suspected cluster of cancers in the municipalities of Pierrefeu-du-Var and Collobrières, Var department, 2013

In March 2013, a resident of the town of Pierrefeu-du-Var (Var department) expressed concern about the occurrence of cancer cases in her family and in her town. She also voiced concerns about the management of the Roumagayrol Landfill (CET) and the truck traffic generated by its operations. The Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) Regional Health Agency (ARS) requested the assistance of the Regional Unit of the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS) for the PACA and Corsica regions (Cire Sud) to investigate this report. The investigation was expanded to include the municipality of Collobrières, which borders Pierrefeu-du-Var, at the request of the mayor of that municipality. Consultations with general practitioners in these municipalities did not confirm the report of an abnormally high number of cancers in the study area, nor did they identify any specific types of cancer. National pediatric cancer registries estimated that the number of cases observed in the study area appeared consistent with the hypothesis that the risk in this area was comparable to the national risk. From an environmental perspective, the review of exposure sources did not reveal any evidence supporting potential overexposure of the population. The establishment, following the complaint, of a site monitoring committee regarding the technical landfill should facilitate dialogue between the associations and the industrial operator. In light of these results, it was not deemed appropriate to further pursue epidemiological and environmental investigations, and it was therefore decided to close the evaluation process regarding this report.

Author(s): Lasalle JL

Publishing year: 2015

Pages: 20 p.

In relation to

Our latest news

news

2026 “Sexual Behavior” Survey (ERAS) for men who have sex with men

news

Hervé Maisonneuve has been appointed scientific integrity officer for a...

Visuel illustratif

news

Public Health France 2026 Barometer: Launch of the Survey