France launches nation-wide investigation into incidents of babies born with missing or malformed arms at abnormal rates

France has launched a nationwide probe into incidents of babies being born with either missing or malformed arms after abnormal rates of deformations were detected in several regions of the country, a top public health official said Wednesday.

France 24 reports that Francois Bourdillon, head of the Public Health France agency, told RTL radio that the probe was “underway” and the results would be known “in about three months.” A relatively small number of cases have been detected so far — about 25 over the past 15 years in the regions of Brittany, Loire-Atlantique and Ain — but the defects have caused public alarm and have been widely reported by the French media. On Monday evening, health authorities reported an additional 11 cases in the Ain area near the Swiss border between 2000 and 2014 which had not previously been made public. Officials had already said the number of cases in Brittany and the Loire-Atlantique areas, on France’s west coast, were statistically “excessive” and Health Minister Agnes Buzyn had vowed to investigate further.

The Local reports that according to doctors at Remera, the most likely cause behind this extraordinarily unusual situation is the agricultural industry, meaning pesticides. Not least because at the same time as these cases took place among the human population in the Ain department, several calves were born without a tail and missing ribs in Chalamont, another village in the department.  “It is believed that this revolves around agriculture,” said Amar.

“We have the elements, the data on these cases, but we need to bring the scientists together. For example, an ecotoxicologist (someone specialising on the effects of toxic chemicals on biological organisms) must work on it, and determine which is the most appropriate study,” she said. “We are definitely facing an excess of cases. We have the scientific and moral obligation to go further,” director of Remera, Amar said.

Melinda Mostini, one of the mothers concerned has questioned if “it could be environmental”. In her interview with FranceInfo, she mentioned “fertilizers, pesticides” and said “there may have been something that happened at this time in the town”.”I am outraged that no investigation has yet been launched,” Céline Figueiredo, mother of Sacha, one of the babies born in Ain, said. “We have the means in France to investigate the causes of these malformations. They must try to give us answers rather than cover up the case.” “We are impressed by Sacha. He never asks for help. But since he started at school, some of his friends have to ask him questions or make fun of him and he tells us he wants a hand. “It is important for us to understand what may have happened during my pregnancy and to be able to answer him one day.”