Chained Deaths in Chains

1989/06/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Osasuna

In this issue we have already spoken about the Pasteur Institute. The following news also has to do with this prestigious French institute.

The death of Willem Roskam, a 38-year-old researcher, in the first days of last April, has again thrown the question of occupational risks at the Pasteur Institute. With Roskame there have been seven workers who, being researchers of the Institute, have been affected by a strange form of cancer (lymphoblastic lymphosarcomas in this case). All of them have worked on the same plant, in the same season and with recombinant DNA. Another three of this group have already died from illness. Under the direction of Professor Jean Bernard a survey is being conducted, but the results will not be known until the end of the year.

In 1986, five cancer cases were developed, seven for 1987. Therefore, in 1987 the Pasteur Institute decided to start an epidemiological study to evaluate the risk of cancer among researchers and former researchers of the Institute. From 1971 to 1986, a questionnaire was sent to 4,000 people who worked at the Institute for more than six months. Which chemicals and microorganisms he used and where he worked at the Institute. It is not easy to collect all these data, so the survey has been extended.

The data of the Pasteur Institute can be very interesting. They can also be applicable to other research centers. This type of study is intended to be extended to laboratories around the world to check whether the risk of cancer is higher among laboratory personnel than in the normal population.