Minister Dr. Ibrahima Sy on the Softcare affair: "When you say something exists, you have to prove it."

The Minister of Health and Public Hygiene addressed the National Assembly on Friday, October 2nd, regarding the potential health risks associated with the Softcare case. "If there is one area where it is extremely difficult to assess risks, it is certainly in the health sector," he stated during the examination of the parliamentary inquiry report on the Softcare case.

According to him, the investigations should determine whether the materials used are themselves likely to present a health risk.

In the case of Softcare, the minister indicated that the investigations had focused in particular on a polyethylene film used in the manufacture of sanitary napkins. "The analysis of this material shows that it is a non-toxic substance," he said.

In his view, this scientific data does not establish the presence of toxic substances in the material in question.

Regarding the expired raw materials found on the company's premises, Dr. Sy indicated that their presence alone is insufficient to prove they were used in the manufacture of finished products. "The question that needed to be clarified is: 'Did these materials actually enter the production process? Are the finished products being produced today made from these expired materials?' This use has not been demonstrated, neither by the ad hoc committee established by the government, nor by the parliamentary inquiry. When something is said to exist, it must be proven. If it cannot be proven, a decision cannot be made. Otherwise, we are not dealing with science," the minister insisted.

He also noted that establishing a possible link between exposure and disease may require long-term investigations, including longitudinal studies or case-control studies comparing exposed and unexposed individuals.

"Longitudinal, case-control studies are needed, comparing people who use and people who do not, to see in the long term whether there is exposure and whether that exposure leads to risks. Public health decisions must therefore be based on scientifically established evidence," he explained.