Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Why France's Caribbean islands are a prostate cancer hotspot

Why France's Caribbean islands are a prostate cancer hotspot

Banana farmers in Guadeloupe and Martinique were poisoned by a banned chemical. Now they could be compensated by French authorities

French farm workers poisoned by a cancer-causing pesticide will be able to claim compensation by the end of the year, a government minister said on Sunday.

France's minister for food and agriculture Julien Denormandie said that a decree recognising prostate cancer as an occupational disease caused by the chemical chlordecone would be issued "before the end of the year".

While chlordecone was banned in France in 1990, an exemption was granted that allowed the chemical to be used in the banana plantations of the French West Indies until 1993.

As a result, over 90 per cent of the adult population of Guadeloupe and Martinique are thought to have been contaminated by the pesticide, according to France's public health agency.

Why now?


France's overseas departments in Guadeloupe and Martinique have some of the highest incidence rates of prostate cancer in the world.

The link between chlordecone and cancer was confirmed in a report by the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm) published in June, which highlighted a "strong presumption of a link between exposure to chlordecone in the general population and the risk of prostate cancer".

A 2010 study on chlordecone exposure and prostate cancer found that the pesticide continued to have an effect on people in the French West Indies even after it was banned, as it did not degrade over time.

"Permanently polluted soils and waters have remained the primary source of foodstuffs contamination, and human beings continue to be exposed to this chemical," the study said.

"There has been a legitimate demand, for a very long time now, from professionals, that prostate cancer be recognised as an occupational disease linked to the use of products, notably chlordecone," Denormandie told the broadcaster France 3 on Sunday.

What will change?


By designating prostate cancer as an occupational disease, sufferers, survivors and their families will be entitled to claim compensation.

"The government is investing to repair the environment polluted by chlordecone. It is a €92 million plan that we are deploying," Denormandie said.

The history of chlordecone has also shaped recent public responses to COVID-19 restrictions in the French West Indies.

Frustrations over the government’s mishandling of the toxic pesticide, led to widespread distrust of health guidelines, culminating in violent protests in Martinique earlier this month.

Many islanders do not support the idea that health workers must be vaccinated, while the COVID passport barring the unvaccinated from entering bars and restaurants has also proved to be unpopular.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Unelected PM of the UK holds an emergency meeting because a candidate got voted in… which he says is a threat to democracy…
Farmers break through police barriers in Brussels.
Ukraine Arrests Father-Son Duo In Lockbit Cybercrime Bust
US Offers $15 Million For Info On Leaders Of Cybercrime Group Lockbit
Apple warns against drying iPhones with rice
Alexei Navalny: UK sanctions Russian prison chiefs after activist's death
German economy is in 'troubled waters' - ministry
In a recent High Court hearing, the U.S. argued that Julian Assange endangered lives by releasing classified information.
Tucker Carlson says Boris Johnson wants "a million dollars, in Bitcoin or cash, from Tucker Carlson to talk about Ukraine.
Russia is rebuilding capacity to destabilize European countries, new UK report warns
EU Commission wants anti-drone defenses at Brussels HQ
Von der Leyen’s 2nd-term pitch: More military might, less climate talk
EU Investigates TikTok for Child Safety Concerns
EU Launches Probe Into TikTok Over Child Protection Under Digital Content Law
EU and UK Announce Joint Effort on Migration
Ministers Confirm Proposal to Prohibit Mobile Phone Usage in English Schools
Avdiivka - Symbol Of Ukrainian Resistance Now In Control Of Russian Troops
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died at the Arctic prison colony
Tucker Carlson grocery shopping in Russia. This is so interesting.
France and Germany Struggle to Align on European Defense Strategy
‘A lot higher than we expected’: Russian arms production worries Europe’s war planners
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption Rights
Russia "Very Close" To Creating Cancer Vaccines, Says Vladimir Putin
Hungarian Foreign Minister: Europeans will lose Europe, the Union's policy must change drastically
Microsoft says it caught hackers from China, Russia and Iran using its AI tools
US Rejects Putin's Ceasefire Offer in Ukraine
The Dangers of Wildfire Smoke and Self-Protection Strategies
A Londoner has been arrested for expressing his Christian beliefs.
Chinese Women Favor AI Boyfriends Over Humans
Greece must address role in migrant vessel disaster that killed 600: Amnesty
Google pledges 25 million euros to boost AI skills in Europe
Hungarian President Katalin Novák Steps Down Amid Pardon Controversy
Activist crashes Hillary Clinton's speech, calls her a 'war criminal.'
In El Salvador, the 'Trump of Latin America' stuns the world with a speech slamming woke policing after winning a landslide election
Trudeau reacts to Putin's mention of Canadian Parliament applauding a former Ukrainian Nazi in his interview with Tucker Carlson.
The Spanish police blocked the farmers protest. So the farmers went out and moved the police car out of the way.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy fires top Ukraine army commander
Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin raises EU concerns
Finnish Airline, Finnair, is voluntarily weighing passengers to better estimate flight cargo weight
Russia's Economy Expands by 3.6% Due to Increased Military Spending
Ukraine MPs Vote To Permit Use Of Dead Soldiers' Sperm
German Princess Becomes First Aristocrat To Pose Naked On Playboy Cover
UK’s King Charles III diagnosed with cancer
EU's Ursula von der Leyen Confronts Farmer Protests Amid Land Policy Debates
Distinguishing Between Harmful AI Media and Positive AI-Generated Content: A Crucial Challenge for the EU
Tucker Carlson explains why he interviewed Putin
Dutch farmers are still protesting in the Netherlands against the government, following the World Economic Forum's call for 'owning nothing.'
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stands up for European farmers and says, 'Brussels is suffocating European farmers.
×