« Municipalities have general skills and can therefore strongly engage in the strategy to combat exposure to endocrine disruptors », recalls Dr Alexandre Feltz, general practitioner and deputy mayor of the city of Strasbourg, responsible for health. This is the choice made by the Eurometropolis of Strasbourg, which decided toact for the health of women and their unborn children with the “Green Ordinance” system.
« This system is accessible to all Strasbourg women exclusively, pregnant or in a medically assisted procreation (PMA) process. », says Dr Alexandre Feltz. It provides access to two awareness workshops on endocrine disruptors. The first workshop is devoted to “Living my pregnancy without endocrine disruptors”, and the second to “Rethinking my diet for my baby and the planet”. “ It also provides for the free provision of a basket of vegetables from organic and short circuit farmingevery week, for a period of 2 to 7 months, depending on income “, he specifies.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE SYSTEM
As a reminder, endocrine disruptors are chemical substances of natural or artificial origin, present in a very diverse manner in the daily environment: food, household products, cosmetics, toys. These substances play a role in disrupting the hormonal functioning of living organisms. Their harmful effects on human health can cause growth disorders, sexual or neurological development, reproductive disorders, as well as the appearance of certain cancers and metabolic diseases such as diabetes. It is therefore necessary, particularly for pregnant women, to protect themselves as much as possible, which they can do via the “Green Ordinance” system.
To benefit from it, they must register by completing an online form then download supporting documents, namely a prescription filled out by a midwife, a general practitioner or a gynecologist attesting to the pregnancy or the current assisted reproduction process – pregnancy certificate is also accepted. They can also provide a document indicating their family quotient (QF) in order to determine the duration of access to vegetable baskets.(1). The absence of a QF certificate results in baskets being made available for a period of 2 months. As soon as their registration is validated, the women concerned can benefit from the entire system, regardless of their due date. After an experiment with 800 women in 2023, the city of Strasbourg decided, in January 2024, to offer this system, for a period of 3 years, to 1,500 women per year..
FOR THE SHORT STORY
The city of Strasbourg positions itself as a dynamic community in the fight against the exposure of its inhabitants to endocrine disruptors. In January 2018, she joined, by motion to the municipal council, the “Cities and territories without endocrine disruptors” charter initiated by the Health Environment Network (RES) and she co-pilots, with the city of Paris, the “Endocrine disruptors” group of the French WHO Healthy Cities Network. As such, it carries out various actions in this area: practical guide for nurseries, awareness workshops for amateur gardeners, etc.
Laure Martin
(1) Tranche 1 (QF < €957): 7 months of weekly vegetable baskets (28 baskets); tranche 2 (QF between €958 and €1602): 4 months of baskets (16 baskets); tranche 3 (QF > €1,602): 2 months of baskets (8 baskets).
