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Cleaning products, wipes, plastic toys… Endocrine disruptors are everywhere in daycare centers. “ You use napalm to kill a fly »says Claire Grolleau, president of the Label Vie association, when she visits these places where children are welcomed.
The association supports daycare centers so that they reduce the presence of chemicals as much as possible. In twenty years, the one who was considered crazy for wanting to eliminate disinfectants “ at the risk of promoting epidemics »no longer preach in the desert. “ In the midst of the Covid crisis, the General Directorate for Social Cohesion (DGCS) has modified the protocol for reopening daycare centers by agreeing to swap virucides for soap and steam, which are just as effective. »rejoices the trained toxicologist, who in 2009 created Écolo Crèche, the first eco-label for early childhood.
Endocrine disruptors are particularly toxic to young children. Scientific consensus now establishes that during pregnancy and the child’s first two years, exposure to these substances presents a danger for development, such as language delay.
The dangers of endocrine disruptors are increasingly well known, but practices change little. Label Vie supports 900 early childhood care centers, a drop in the ocean of the 450,000 establishments of this type in France. “ In some nurseries, there are up to forty cleaning products, which is totally contraindicated. »notes Anne Lafourcade, chemical engineer. In 2017, her agency Alicse created a guide for the Regional Health Agency (ARS) from New Aquitaine. “ L’ARS was helpless in the face of recurring requests from communities on the proper use of chemical products. »
“ We know how to act and it’s simple »
“ When we make the list with the nursery staff, people are surprised that there are so many objects concerned. It has the effect of a cold shower »says Agatha Wajrak, from the Permanent Center for Environmental Initiatives (CPIE) of the Loire Valley. This environmental education association provides training to daycare centers and midwives: “ The topic of endocrine disruptors is not well known by early childhood professionals. »
“ Some people accuse me of panicking the population. But doing nothing is frightening. Especially since we know how to act and it’s simple. »insists André Cicolella, from the Environment Health Network (RES). The latter in particular obtained the banning of bisphenol A in baby bottles in 2010. The association has also adapted its charter of commitment to territories without endocrine disruptors to adapt it to daycare centers.
Charter, guide, label… For the organizations involved in this support, the approach is the same: draw up a diagnosis of risky products and show that it is possible to eliminate them or replace them with non-toxic products. Santé publique France makes the same recommendations, but half-heartedly: “ Glass containers are preferred over plastic ones », “ Traditional products such as baking soda, white vinegar, black soap, vegetable oil-based soap, etc. multiply the benefits », “ For baby’s toilet, water and soap are enough. »etc.
“ Don’t wait for regulations to change »
“ Some changes are easy to make, like stopping heating meals in plastic containers. Others are less successful, like the widely used yet often problematic glitter paint. »says Agatha Wajrak. “ We must not wait for the regulations to change »underlines Anne Lafourcade, who supports municipal daycare centers in ten communities in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. The European Commission’s procrastination on the Reach regulation on chemical products proves her right.
Another difficulty is that a thousand substances are suspected of being endocrine disruptors, according to the latest opinion of the National Agency for Food Safety (ANSES). It will take decades to test them individually and in mixtures. In other words, it is better to apply the precautionary principle by keeping young children away from chemical products.
Especially since the contamination of the population has been proven. “ These pollutants are present in the bodies of all adults and children. »concluded a study by Public Health France in 2019. If France adopted a national strategy for endocrine disruptors in 2014, at the initiative of the association RESthe epidemiological monitoring of the population is still not up to par, according to André Cicolella. On its scale, the RES has launched phthalate measurements on a few dozen people. Their results show significant variations in phthalate levels between people. “ We can therefore significantly reduce our contamination. »explains the president of RESwhich nevertheless remains cautious while awaiting larger-scale measurement campaigns.
The toxicologist recalls the issues by citing a new study published in the medical journal Jama in July on the effects of phthalates on pregnant women. “ This study shows that by limiting the contamination of pregnant women, 7,200 cases [de naissances prématurées] could be avoided in France. »