Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
CONTEXT: Chlordecone, an environmentally persistent organochlorine insecticide used intensively in banana culture in the French West Indies until 1993, has permanently polluted soils and contaminated foodstuffs. Consumption of contaminated food is the main source of exposure nowadays. We sought to identify main contributors to blood chlordecone concentration (BCC) and to validate an exposure indicator based on food intakes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We used a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) completed by a sample of 194 pregnant women to estimate their dietary exposure to chlordecone and compared it to blood levels. In a first approach, chlordecone daily intake was estimated as the product of daily eaten quantity of 214 foodstuffs, multiplied by their chlordecone content, and summed over all items. We then predicted individual blood chlordecone concentration with empirical weight regression models based on frequency of food consumption, and without contamination data. RESULTS: Among the 191 subjects who had BCC determination, 146 (76%) had detectable values and mean BCC was 0.86 ng/mL (range < LOD-13.2). Mean per capita dietary intake of chlordecone was estimated at 3.3 microg/day (range: 0.1-22.2). Blood chlordecone levels were significantly correlated with food exposure predicted from the empirical weight models (r=0.47, p<0.0001) and, to a lesser extent, with chlordecone intake estimated from food consumption and food contamination data (r=0.20, p=0.007). Main contributors to chlordecone exposure included seafood, root vegetables, and Cucurbitaceous. CONCLUSION: These results show that the Timoun FFQ provides valid estimates of chlordecone exposure. Estimates from empirical weight models correlated better with blood levels of chlordecone than did estimates from the dietary intake assessment.
ISSN: 0013-9351

inserm-00517109
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-00517109
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-00517109/document
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-00517109/file/Pesticide_exposureofpregnantwomeninGuadeloupe.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.envres.2009.10.015

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Children are exposed to toxic metals and metalloids via their diet and environment. Our objective was to assess the aggregate chronic exposure of children aged 3–6 years, living in France, to As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Pb, Sb, Sr, and V present in diet, tap water, air, soil and floor dust in the years 2007–2009. Dietary data came from the French Total Diet Study, while concentrations in residential tap water, soil and indoor floor dust came from the ‘Plomb-Habitat’ nationwide representative survey on children's lead exposure at home. Indoor air concentrations were assumed to be equal to outdoor air concentrations, which were retrieved from regulatory measurements networks. Human exposure factors were retrieved from literature. Data were combined with Monte Carlo simulations. Median exposures were 1.7, 0.3, 10.2, 34.1, 60.3, 0.7, 0.1, 44.3, 1.5 and 95th percentiles were 4.4, 0.5, 15.8, 61.3, 98.3, 2.5, 0.1, 111.1, 2.9 μg/kg bw/d for As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Pb, Sb, Sr, and V respectively. Dietary exposures dominate aggregate exposures, with the notable exception of Pb - for which soils and indoor floor dust ingestion contribute most at the 95th percentile. The strengths of this study are that it aggregates exposures that are often estimated separately, and uses a large amount of representative data. This assessment is limited to main diet and residential exposure, and does not take into account the relative bioavailability of compounds. These results could be used to help target prevention strategies.
ISSN: 0160-4120

inserm-01404061
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-01404061
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-01404061/document
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-01404061/file/rev1%20-%20MS%20Expo%20metals.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.envint.2016.10.009

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Dietary exposure to pesticide residues may present a risk to public health, especially for sensitive populations such as pregnant women. To characterize this risk, this study assessed chronic dietary exposure to pesticide residues based on the French ELFE cohort. A self-administered food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) about the last three months of pregnancy filled in by pregnant women in 2011 was used in combination with occurrence data from French Total Diet Studies completed by the results of national monitoring programs on pesticide residues in food. The dietary intake of pesticides (μg/kg of body weight/day) was estimated for 14,099 pregnant women with a complete FFQ, for 317 substances under two occurrence scenarios to handle left-censored data: a lower-bound scenario (LB), where undetected results were set to zero, and an upper-bound scenario (UB), where undetected results were set to the detection limit if the substance was expected to be found in food and zero if it was not. The risk was assessed for 284 substances with a toxicological reference value (TRV) and a good coverage level of the diet potentially contributing to pesticide intake. The cumulative risk was also assessed for seven effects on nervous and thyroid systems using the hazard index and the Cumulative Assessment Groups defined by EFSA. Substances with the highest exposure levels under the LB scenario were, in decreasing order, imazalil, piperonyl butoxide, chlorpropham, thiabendazole, iprodione and propargite. Under the LB scenario, only for lindane did women have a statistically significant probability of exceeding the TRV (2.4%). Under the UB scenario, risk could not be excluded for nine other substances. A better management of left-censored data and more sensitive analyses of the main food contributors might help to refine the UB exposure and risk assessments. A statistically significant cumulative risk was found for neurochemical effects related to high intake levels of three organophosphate insecticides (chlorpyrifos, pirimiphos-methyl and dimethoate) mainly detected in fruits and cereals
ISSN: 0160-4120

hal-01319892
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01319892
DOI : 10.1016/j.envint.2016.04.007
PUBMED : 27187793

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Increasingly, health risk assessment is addressing multiple pathway exposures to multiple contaminants. We reviewed aggregated exposure and cumulative risk approaches for contemporary and ubiquitous semivolatile organic compounds (SVOC). We identified 22 studies aggregating exposure pathways, and 31 cumulating risk. Exposure aggregation is based on the addition of pathway-specific doses, using kinetic modeling where it exists, and classic external dose equations otherwise. In most cases, exposure is dominated by a single route or source of exposure - mainly the oral pathway - via dietary or non-dietary exposure. Preferential routes and sources of exposure are influenced by SVOC physical-chemical properties such as vapor pressure. The cumulative risk approach for contaminants is based on dose addition. Simple sum of hazard quotient (Hazard Index: HI) is the most commonly used cumulative risk assessment approach, while Relative Potency Factor (RPF) appeared to the best suited – although this calls for a level of toxicological information that limits the number of compounds that can be studied simultaneously. Where both were performed, moving from HI to more refined approach produced similar results. In conclusion, both approaches - exposure aggregation and cumulative risk - rely on simple assumptions. Nevertheless, they allow uncertainty to be reduced, in comparison with source-by-source or chemical-by-chemical approaches.
ISSN: 0013-9351

hal-01635759
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01635759
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01635759/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01635759/file/Pelletier%202017%20Review%20%20rev2.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.envres.2017.06.022

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
Background Although the French eating model may differ from those of other countries, no studies to date have investigated dietary patterns in a wide age range of adults and at the national level. We aimed to identify dietary patterns (DP) of French adults and assess their associations with demographic, socio-economic and behavioural factors. Methods The present study included 2624 adults (1087 men, 1537 women) aged 18–79 years from the cross-sectional national French INCA2 dietary survey. Dietary data were collected using a 7-day estimated food record. Clusters of DP were derived using principal component analysis and clustering, conjointly. Age-adjusted logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the association between DP and correlates. Results Five DP were identified, namely ‘traditional’, ‘prudent’, ‘diversified’, ‘processed’ and ‘sandwiches’. Men were more likely to follow a traditional diet and women the ‘prudent’ pattern. Members of the ‘processed’ and ‘sandwiches’ patterns were younger compared to non-members. Healthier dietary patterns were overall positively associated with a higher socio-economic position, healthier behaviours (in terms of sedentary behaviours and smoking status) and lower body mass index. Under-reporting of energy intake, restrictive diet to lose weight and dietary supplement consumption were also related to specific DP, although differentially in men and women. Associations with contextual factors (i.e. household composition, agglomeration size and region) were also observed. Conclusions The identification of adults’ dietary patterns and associated behaviours (all modifiable) is important for the conceptualisation of multi-behavioural programs. The additional information on social and environmental correlates is also essential for targeting the most vulnerable population groups in the context of such public health interventions
ISSN: 0952-3871

hal-01299975
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01299975
DOI : 10.1111/jhn.12315
PUBMED : 25233099

Éditeur(s) : Montpellier 1
Résumé : Understanding bioaccumulation mechanisms of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is a major issue for environmental risk assessment. In this work, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a model contaminant family, has been studied in the European hake (Merluccius merluccius), a high trophic level species from the Gulf of Lions. High concentrations of PCBs were measured in hake from this area compared to those encountered in the population of the Bay of Biscay. PCB biomagnification was highlighted along its food web from marine phytoplankton, suggesting a strong influence of diet on contamination levels. The role of other biological processes was also apprehended in order to understand the high variability of observed levels. Thus, growth, sex, and also the degree of sexual maturity appear as major factors explaining the measured concentrations in fish. A PCB bioaccumulation model in the hake, based on the Dynamic Energy Budget theory (DEB), was developed. This approach is based on a bioenergetic model, reproducing the main physiological functions of an organism (feeding, growth and reproduction), coupled with a kinetic model of contaminants. The growth and evolution of contamination levels of several PCB congeners during the life of male and female hakes is satisfactorily simulated, both in the Gulf of Lions and in the Bay of Biscay, validating the processes taken into account. This combined modelling approach appears well adapted to study the fate of contaminants in fish, and paves the way for a realistic understanding of their effects on major biological functions of fish.
La compréhension des mécanismes de bioaccumulation des contaminants organiques persistants (POP) est un enjeu majeur pour l'évaluation des risques environnementaux. Lors de ce travail, le devenir d'une famille de contaminants modèles, les polychlorobiphényles (PCB), a été étudié chez une espèce de rang trophique élevé du golfe du Lion, le merlu Européen (Merluccius merluccius). Des concentrations élevées en PCB ont été mesurées dans les merlus de ce secteur en comparaison à celles rencontrées dans la population du golfe de Gascogne. La mise en évidence d'une bioamplification des PCB le long de son réseau trophique, depuis le phytoplancton marin, suggère une influence importante de l'alimentation sur les niveaux de contamination. Le rôle d'autres processus biologiques a également été appréhendé afin de comprendre la forte variabilité des niveaux observés. Ainsi, la croissance, le sexe, mais également le degré de maturité sexuel apparaissent comme des facteurs explicatifs majeurs des concentrations en PCB mesurées dans les poissons. Un modèle de bioaccumulation des PCB chez le merlu, basé sur la théorie de Budget d'Energie Dynamique (DEB), a été développé. Il s'agit d'une approche basée sur le couplage d'un modèle bioénergétique, reproduisant les principales fonctions physiologiques de l'organisme (nutrition, croissance et reproduction), avec un modèle de cinétique des contaminants. La croissance et l'évolution des niveaux de contamination de plusieurs congénères de PCB au cours de la vie des merlus mâles et femelles est simulée de manière satisfaisante, tant dans le golfe de Gascogne que dans le golfe du Lion, validant ainsi les processus pris en compte. Cette approche combinée de modélisation apparaît tout à fait adaptée à l'étude du devenir des contaminants chez les poissons, et ouvre la voie à une compréhension réaliste de leurs effets sur les grandes fonctions biologiques de ces organismes.

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2008/these-6490.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/6490/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Humans are exposed to a large number of contaminants, many of which may have similar health effects. This paper presents a framework for identifying pollutants to be included in a cumulative risk assessment approach. To account for the possibility of simultaneous exposure to chemicals with common toxic modes of action, the first step of the traditional risk assessment process, i.e. hazard identification, is structured in three sub-steps: (1a) Identification of pollutants people are exposed to, (1b) identification of effects and mechanisms of action of these pollutants, (1c) grouping of pollutants according to similarity of their mechanism of action and health effects. Based on this exposure-based grouping we can derive "multi-pollutant" toxicity reference values, in the "dose-response assessment" step. The approach proposed in this work is original in that it is based on real exposures instead of a limited number of pollutants from a unique chemical family, as traditionally performed. This framework is illustrated by the case study of semi-volatile organic compounds in French dwellings, providing insights into practical considerations regarding the accuracy of the available toxicological information. This case study illustrates the value of the exposure-based approach as opposed to the traditional cumulative framework, in which chemicals with similar health effects were not always included in the same chemical class.
ISSN: 0013-9351

hal-00982315
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00982315
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00982315/document
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00982315/file/An_exposure-based_framework_for_grouping_pollutants_accepted.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.envres.2014.01.007

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
29 inorganic compounds (Al, As, B, Ba, Be, Bi, Ca, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Gd, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Nd, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sr, Ti, U, V and Zn) were measured in the tap water of 484 representative homes of children aged 6 months to 6 years in metropolitan France in 2008-2009. Parents were asked whether their children consumed tap water. Sampling design and sampling weights were taken into account to estimate element concentrations in tap water supplied to the 3,581,991 homes of 4,923,058 children aged 6 months to 6 years. Median and 95th percentiles of concentrations in tap water were in mu g/L: Al: <10, 483, As: 02, 2.1; B: <100, 100; Ba: 30.7, 149.4; Ca: 85,000, 121,700; Cd: <0.5, <0.5; Ce: <0.5, <0.5; Co: <0.5, 0.8; Cr: <5, <5; Cu: 70, 720; K: 2210, 6740; Fe: <20, 46; Mn: <5, <5; Mo: <0.5,1.5; Na: 14,500, 66,800; Ni: <2,10.2; Mg: 6500,21,200; Pb: <1, 5.4; Sb: <0.5, <0.5; Se: <1, 6.7; Sr: 256.9, 1004; TI: <0.5, <0.5; U: <0.5, 2.4; V: <1, 1; Zn; 53, 208. Of the 2,977,123 young children drinking tap water in France, some were drinking water having concentrations above the 2011 World Health Organization drinking water quality guidelines: respectively 498 (CI 95%: 0-1484) over 700 mu g/L of Ba; 121,581 (CI 95%: 7091-236,070) over 50 mg/L of Na; 2044 (CI 95%: 0-6132) over 70 mu g/L of Ni, and 78,466 (17,171-139,761) over 10 mu g/L of Pb. Since it is representative, this tap water contamination data can be used for integrated exposure assessment, in conjunction with diet and environmental (dust and soil) exposure data. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
ISSN: 0160-4120

hal-01390976
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01390976
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01390976/document
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01390976/file/Le%20Bot%202016%20EI%20revision1%20.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.envint.2016.06.009

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley-Blackwell
Résumé : International audience
Abstract Numerous freshwater species are consumed or exploited through artisanal fisheries in the rivers of the islands of Guadeloupe, French West Indies. Autochthonous production of organic matter is limited in these flowing rivers and is mainly represented by scarce filamentous green algae and an abundant epilithic biofilm growing on wet stones in the river bed. Stable isotope analysis was used to quantify the relative importance of biofilm and other riverine allochthonous and autochthonous food sources in the diet of tropical shrimps (Palaemonidae, Atyidae and Xiphocarididae) and fishes (Gobiidae and Eleotridae) consumed by the local people. The epilithic biofilm was exploited by most species, constituted an important source of autochthonous carbon and was an important source of organic matter production at the base of freshwater food webs in Caribbean rivers. Biofilm percentages in the diet reached 32% for molluscs, 85% for atyid shrimps, 29% for xiphocaridid shrimps, 14% for palaemonid shrimps and 13% for fish. Assessment of biofilm in nine rivers showed that blue and red cyanobacteria were quantitatively dominant with a moderately rich diatom flora. These results address the interactions between river biofilm and Caribbean freshwater fauna where trophic links between consumers and their potential resources have poorly been documented.
ISSN: 0969-997X

hal-00744809
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-00744809
DOI : 10.1111/j.1365-2400.2010.00767.x

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD CNRS éditions
Résumé : International audience
Die antike Siedlung von Mandeure und Mathay (Epomanduodurum), welche durch ihre Größe und ihre monumentale Ausstattung als die zweitwichtigste Stadt der Sequaner hinter der Civitashauptstadt Besançon betrachtet wird, ist Gegenstand eines interdisziplinarischen Forschungsprogramms. Dieser Artikel stellt eine Bilanz der Ergebnisse der zwischen 2001 und 2004 durchgeführten Forschungen dar. Im Mittelpunkt der Forschungen der ersten Phase stand der zentralen Teil der Siedlung mit dem Bereich Heiligtum-Theater-spätrömische Befestigung, der für die Problematik der Entstehung, der Entwicklung und dem Ende der römischen Besiedlung besonders interessant ist. Verschiedene, sich ergänzende Projekte wurden eingeleitet: Erforschung des alten Dokumentarbestandes, geophysikalische Prospektionen, geoarchäologische Sondierungen, Plangrabungen, architektonische Untersuchunge. Durch diese Projekte war es möglich, die Kenntnisse über die drei wichtigen Großbauten (Heiligtum-Theater-spätrömische Befestigung) grundsätzlich zu vertiefen und insbesondere die geophysikalischen Prospektionsergebnisse lassen in bemerkenswerter Weise einen dichten Baubestand dieses Stadtteils erkennen. Schließlich konnte die Funktion und die Entwicklung der Flußebene des Doubs in diesem Bereich besser verstanden werden als auch die Art und Weise in welcher die antike Monumentalanlage in diesen einzigartigen natürlichen Rahmen einbezogen wurde.
Since 2001, a collective pluridisciplinary research programme is being undertaken on the antique town of Epomanduodurum in the communes of Mandeure and Mathay. This site is considered like the second one of the Sequani, for its dimensions and the monuments, after the civitas capital, Besançon. This article is an assessment of the investigations conducted between 2001 and 2004. During this period, the central part of the site was studied (sanctuary, theatre, Late fortification area), considered as the most significant for the question of the birth, development and decline of the town. Various complementary approaches have been carried out: study of archives, geophysical and geoarchaeological survey, extent excavations, architectural analyses. They lead to a better understanding of the three main buildings (the Celtic and Gallo-Roman sanctuary, the theatre of the Principate, the Late Antique fortification) and they add considerable informations about the pattern of settlement of this area; so it is possible to detect more precisely the spatial organization and finally to understand how the alluvial plain of the Doubs river was functioning and how the monumental complex has been integrated in such a peculiar landscape.
L'agglomération antique d'Epomanduodurum, située sur les communes de Mandeure et Mathay, et considérée comme la seconde du pays séquane par la taille et la parure monumentale, derrière la capitale de cité, Besançon, fait l'objet d'un programme collectif de recherche, pluridisciplinaire, depuis 2001. Cet article dresse un bilan des résultats des fouilles réalisées entre 2001 et 2004. Dans cette première phase, les investigations ont porté principalement sur la partie centrale du site (secteur sanctuaire-théâtrefortification tardive), perçue comme particulièrement intéressante pour la problématique de la naissance, du développement et du déclin de l'agglomération. Différentes approches complémentaires ont été lancées : étude du fond documentaire ancien, prospections géophysiques, sondages géoarchéologiques, fouilles extensives, études architecturales. Elles ont permis d'approfondir la connaissance des trois principaux édifices (sanctuaire laténien et gallo-romain, théâtre du Haut-Empire, fortification du Bas-Empire), de compléter de façon très notable la trame de l'occupation de ce secteur, et donc d'en mieux percevoir l'organisation spatiale, enfin de mieux comprendre le fonctionnement de la plaine alluviale du Doubs et l'insertion dans ce contexte naturel particulier d'un complexe monumental antique.
ISSN: 0016-4119

halshs-00718356
https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-00718356

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Increasingly, health risk assessment is addressing multiple pathway exposures to multiple contaminants. We reviewed aggregated exposure and cumulative risk approaches for contemporary and ubiquitous semivolatile organic compounds (SVOC). We identified 22 studies aggregating exposure pathways, and 31 cumulating risk. Exposure aggregation is based on the addition of pathway-specific doses, using kinetic modeling where it exists, and classic external dose equations otherwise. In most cases, exposure is dominated by a single route or source of exposure - mainly the oral pathway - via dietary or non-dietary exposure. Preferential routes and sources of exposure are influenced by SVOC physical-chemical properties such as vapor pressure. The cumulative risk approach for contaminants is based on dose addition. Simple sum of hazard quotient (Hazard Index: HI) is the most commonly used cumulative risk assessment approach, while Relative Potency Factor (RPF) appeared to the best suited - although this calls for a level of toxicological information that limits the number of compounds that can be studied simultaneously. Where both were performed, moving from HI to more refined approach produced similar results. In conclusion, both approaches - exposure aggregation and cumulative risk - rely on simple assumptions. Nevertheless, they allow uncertainty to be reduced, in comparison with source-by-source or chemical-by-chemical approaches.
Environmental Research

hal-01579608
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01579608
DOI : 10.1016/j.envres.2017.06.022
PUBMED : 28732321

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
AIM:We aimed to study the relationships between circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], insulin resistance and leptin-to-adiponectin (L/A) ratio in Guadeloupean children and adolescents and to analyse the changes in 25(OH)D levels after a 1-year lifestyle intervention program.METHODS:25(OH)D concentrations were measured via a chemiluminescence assay. Cardiometabolic risk factors, homoeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and adipokines were measured. The lifestyle intervention included dietary counselling, regular physical activity.RESULTS:Among 117 girls and boys (11–15 years old, 31.6% obese), 40% had vitamin D deficiency (25(OH)D levels < 20 ng/mL). With linear regression models where 25(OH)D and HOMA-IR acted as independent variables and age, sex, BMI, L/A ratio as covariates, 25(OH)D was significantly associated with HOMA-IR alone (P = 0.036). HOMA-IR was also associated with BMI z-score ≥ 2, L/A ratio and an interaction term BMI z-score ≥ 2*L/A ratio (P < 0.001 for all). After one year, in 78 children/adolescent, mean serum 25(OH)D increased significantly from 21.4 ± 4.9 ng/mL at baseline to 23.2 ± 6.0 after 1 year; P = 0.003 whereas BMI z-score, HOMA-IR and L/A ratio decreased significantly (P = 0.003, P < 0.001 and P = 0.012; respectively).CONCLUSION:The association between 25(OH)D and HOMA-IR, independently of obesity and the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency should be considered in order to prevent the later incidence of T2DM. A healthy lifestyle including non-sedentary and outdoor activities could be a way for improving vitamin D status.
Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences

hal-01427889
http://hal.upmc.fr/hal-01427889
PUBMEDCENTRAL : PMC5175505

Éditeur(s) : Communication, ICES Conference and Meeting (CM), 2010, Nantes
Résumé : Chlordecone is a very persistent insecticide used in banana plantations of the French West Indies between 1972 and 1993. Chlordecone residues were found in inland water, in agricultural and freshwater products, and in marine organisms. This pollution has become of great concern in 2007. Therefore, a governmental action Plan was launched to better assess the pollution and to improve the consumer’s protection. Within this plan, 1048 samples from 69 different species of marine fishes and crustaceans were collected all around both the Guadeloupe and the Martinique Islands and analyzed. The results confirm the presence of chlordecone in marine organisms, with highly variable concentrations (from the detection limit to 1000 μg.kg-1). In 17.9 % of the samples, concentrations exceeded 20 μg.kg-1, the maximum acceptable level in fish according to the French regulation (Anon, 2008). Two main features of this contamination were characterized. 1) Because of the sedimentation of contaminated suspended soil particles, the sheltered bays are more exposed to chlordecone than the open coast where terrigenous flux are dispersed. 2) Species biology, particularly their lifestyle and diet, appear to influence contamination levels. Thus, the more contaminated species live in relation with sediment or are at high trophic level. These results have directly supported political decisions in order to prevent too high exposure of consumers to chlordecone. Fishing activities in sheltered bays have been forbidden for potentially highly contaminated species like benthic crustaceans and top predators. Further studies are under way to assess the importance of the trophic transport of chlordecone within the foodweb, and to evaluate the historical deposition of this insecticide in sediment and its further bioavailability.

Droits : 2010 ICES/CIEM ; Ifremer
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00014/12511/9361.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00014/12511/