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
Résumé : International audience
Background Chlordecone is a persistent organochlorine insecticide with well-defined estrogenic properties. It was intensively used in the French West Indies until 1993 to control the banana root borer. Because of the long-term contamination of soils and water, the population is currently exposed to chlordecone through food consumption. Chlordecone has been found in the blood of pregnant women and in cord blood. It has been shown to be an endocrine-disrupting chemical and exposure during pregnancy may affect fetal growth. Objectives The objective of our study was to examine the association between prenatal exposure to chlordecone and fetal growth based on the TIMOUN birth cohort conducted in Guadeloupe, with a focus on the potential modification of this relationship by maternal body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG). Methods Chlordecone was determined in cord plasma at birth in 593 babies. Birth weight was the indicator of fetal growth. Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG were determined. Adherence to GWG recommendations of the US Institute of Medicine based on maternal pre-pregnancy BMI was assessed. Birth weight was analyzed relative to cord blood chlordecone levels using linear and non-linear regression models. Results Overall chlordecone in cord blood was not associated with birth weight, but we found an interaction between chlordecone exposure with GWG and adherence to GWG recommendations. After stratification by GWG, we found a significant U-shaped association between birth weight and chlordecone exposure, within the upper quartiles of GWG or excessive GWG. Conclusion Chlordecone exposure may affect fetal growth, particularly when excessive GWG is present. © 2016 Elsevier Inc.
Environmental Research

hal-01367154
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01367154
DOI : 10.1016/j.envres.2016.08.004
PUBMED : 27560981

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Chlordecone is a persistent organochlorine pesticide that was used in the French West Indies until the early 1990s for banana weevil borer control. Human exposure to this chemical in this area still occurs nowadays due to consumption of contaminated food. Although adverse effects on neurodevelopment, including tremors and memory deficits, have been documented in experimental studies conducted with rodents exposed during the gestational and neonatal periods, no study has been conducted yet to determine if chlordecone alters child development. This study examines the relation of gestational and postnatal exposure to chlordecone to infant development at 18 months of age in a birth-cohort of Guadeloupean children. In a prospective longitudinal study conducted in Guadeloupe (Timoun mother-child cohort study), exposure to chlordecone was measured at birth from an umbilical cord blood sample (n=141) and from a breast milk sample collected at 3 months postpartum (n=75). Toddlers were assessed using an adapted version of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire. Higher chlordecone concentrations in cord blood were associated with poorer fine motor scores. When analyses were conducted separately for boys and girls, this effect was only observed among boys. These results suggest that prenatal exposure to chlordecone is associated with specific impairments in fine motor function in boys, and add to the growing evidence that exposure to organochlorine pesticides early in life impairs child development.
ISSN: 0161-813X

hal-00875907
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00875907
PUBMED : 23376090
DOI : 10.1016/j.neuro.2013.01.007

Résumé : During the years 1972-1993, kepone a persistent pesticide has been used in the banana fields of the French West Indies (Martinique and Guadeloupe) to content a weevil. A slow desorption of the molecule from soil induces its transfer to the sea through the rivers from leaching and erosion. This study intended to take stock on the contamination by kepone of the fishery species around the islands fifteen years after the kepone ban. Furthermore other chemical pollutants were sought in fish and shellfish around the Martinique island. The results confirmed persistence of marine fauna contamination by kepone, mainly in the alluvium areas in front of polluted rivers. They shown also that this contamination may spread more widely but with fast decreasing through the marine food webs. For the other pollutants sought, the results were in general lower than the statutory values. Within these substances, only mercury gave a signal close to the prescribed threshold for top predator samples. Finally, on the whole the observed systems appeared preserved from human chemical pollutants, apart from kepone.
Pendant les années 1972-1993 un pesticide persistant, la chlordécone, a été utilisé dans les bananeraies des Antilles françaises (Martinique et Guadeloupe) pour lutter contre un charançon. Une désorption lente de la molécule fixée dans les sols conduit à son transfert progressif dans les milieux aquatiques puis vers le domaine marin au gré du lessivage et de l'érosion des sols contaminés. La présente étude visait à faire le point sur la contamination de la faune halieutique côtière des Antilles françaises quinze ans après l'interdiction d'usage de la molécule. En parallèle, une recherche systématique d'autres polluants chimiques a été effectuée sur des poissons et des crustacés ainsi que dans des sédiments autour de la Martinique. Les résultats confirment la persistance d'une contamination de la faune par la chlordécone, particulièrement dans les zones alluvionnaires des cours d'eau contaminés. Ils montrent également que cette contamination diffuse plus largement en s'atténuant, à travers les réseaux trophiques marins. Parmi les autres substances recherchées, les résultats dans les espèces d'intérêt halieutique se situent en général sous les concentrations maximales admissibles fixées par la réglementation. Parmi ces molécules, seul le mercure donne un signal de contamination proche de ce seuil chez des grands prédateurs. Ce constat souligne l'état de préservation des milieux observés vis-à-vis de la contamination chimique environnementale, hormis bien évidemment le cas de la chlordécone.

Droits : 2010 Onema / Ifremer
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2009/rapport-6896.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/6896/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
AbstractBackground The intensive use of chlordecone (an organochlorine insecticide) in the French West Indies until 1993 resulted in a long-term soil and water contamination. Chlordecone has known hormonal properties and exposure through contaminated food during critical periods of development (gestation and early infancy) may affect growth. Objectives We aimed to assess the impact of prenatal and postnatal exposure to chlordecone on the growth of children from the TIMOUN mother–child cohort. Methods Chlordecone was determined in cord plasma at birth (N=222) and in breast milk samples (at 3 months). Dietary chlordecone intake was estimated at 7 and 18 months, with food-frequency questionnaires and food-specific contamination data. Anthropometric measurements were taken at the 3-, 7- and 18-month visits and measurements reported in the infants' health records were noted. Structured Jenss–Bayley growth models were fitted to individual height and weight growth trajectories. The impact of exposure on growth curve parameters was estimated directly with adjusted mixed non-linear models. Weight, height and body mass index (BMI), and instantaneous height and weight growth velocities at specific ages were also analyzed relative to exposure. Results Chlordecone in cord blood was associated with a higher BMI in boys at 3 months, due to greater weight and lower height, and in girls at 8 and 18 months, mostly due to lower height. Postnatal exposure was associated with lower height, weight and BMI at 3, 8 and 18 months, particularly in girls. Conclusion Chlordecone exposure may affect growth trajectories in children aged 0 to 18 months
ISSN: 0013-9351

hal-01169790
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01169790
DOI : 10.1016/j.envres.2015.06.023
PUBMED : 26133809

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Few studies have explored the consequences of environmental exposure to organochlorine pesticides for gestational hypertension (GH), preeclampsia (PE) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Chlordecone is a persistent organochlorine pesticide that was used intensively, and almost exclusively, in the French West Indies until 1993. We investigated the impact of prenatal exposure to chlordecone on the occurrence of GDM, GH and PE by studying 779 pregnant women enrolled in a prospective mother-child cohort (Timoun Study) in Guadeloupe between 2004 and 2007. Chlordecone exposure was determined by assaying maternal plasma and information about pregnancy complications was obtained from midwives, pediatricians and hospital medical records after delivery. The risks of GH (n=65), PE (n=31) and GDM (n=71) were estimated by multiple logistic regression including potential confounders. Levels of chlordecone plasma concentration in the third (OR=0.2; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.1, 0.5) and fourth quartiles (OR=0.3; 95% CI: 0.2, 0.7) were associated with a statistically significant decrease in the risk of GH. A log10 increase in chlordecone concentration was significantly associated with lower risk of GH (OR=0.4; 95% CI: 0.2, 0.6). No significant associations were observed between the chlordecone exposure and the risk of PE or GDM. This study suggests an inverse association between chlordecone exposure during pregnancy and GH. Further studies are required to determine the underlying mechanism, or the potential unknown confounding factors, resulting in this association.
ISSN: 0160-4120

hal-01061391
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01061391
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01061391/document
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01061391/file/Saunders_et_al._Final_version_main_manuscript.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.envint.2014.03.024

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
BACKGROUND: The insecticide chlordecone was extensively used in the French West Indies to control banana root borer. Its persistence in soils has led to the widespread pollution of the environment, and human beings are still exposed to this chemical. Chlordecone has been shown to impair neurological and behavioural functions in rodents when exposed gestationally or neonatally. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of prenatal and postnatal exposure to chlordecone on the cognitive, visual, and motor development of 7-month-old infants from Guadeloupe. METHODS: Infants were tested at 7 months (n=153). Visual recognition memory and processing speed were assessed with the Fagan Tests of Infant Intelligence (FTII), visual acuity with the Teller Acuity Card, and fine motor development with the Brunet-Lezine. Samples of cord blood and breast milk at 3 months (n=88) were analyzed for chlordecone concentrations. Postnatal exposure was determined through breast feeding and frequency of contaminated food consumption by the infants. RESULTS: Cord chlordecone concentrations in tertiles were associated with reduced novelty preference on the FTII in the highly exposed group (β=-0.19, p=0.02). Postnatal exposure through contaminated food consumption was marginally related to reduced novelty preference (β=-0.14, p=0.07), and longer processing speed (β=0.16, p=0.07). Detectable levels of chlordecone in cord blood were associated with higher risk of obtaining low scores on the fine motor development scale (OR=1.25, p<0.01). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that pre- and postnatal low chronic exposure to chlordecone is associated with negative effects on cognitive and motor development during infancy.
ISSN: 0013-9351

hal-00875939
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00875939
DOI : 10.1016/j.envres.2012.07.006
PUBMED : 22910562

Éditeur(s) : Elsevier
Résumé : In January and February 2002, the presence of certain agricultural pesticides throughout the coastline of the Caribbean island of Martinique was investigated. The tropical climate of the French West Indies is suitable for banana production, which requires intensive use of pesticides. An inventory of all pesticides used on the island (compounds and tonnage) was compiled. Surveys and analyses revealed the presence of pesticides in the plumes of seven rivers. The organochlorine chlordecone and metabolites of aldicarb were detected at nearly all of the monitored sites, even though the use of chlordecone has been prohibited since 1993. Two triazines (ametryn and simazine) were also identified. The concentrations of carbamates and triazines detected in the water and sediment samples from Martinique are comparable to those reported for mainland France. Chlordecone concentrations in the sediment and particulate matter samples were, however, particularly high in the samples from Martinique. Toxicological implications are discussed. Of particular concern are the high levels of chlordecone (which is bioaccumulating and carcinogenic) and further monitoring of this compound is recommended, especially in fish and other sea-food products.
Marine Pollution Bulletin (0025-326X) (Elsevier), 2005-07 , Vol. 51 , N. 5-7 , P. 612-619

Droits : 2005 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2005/publication-879.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2005.06.026
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/879/

Éditeur(s) : EDP Sciences
Résumé : Martinique is a French overseas department whose economy relies heavily on agriculture. Organochlorine pesticides, mainly chlordecone, were used for banana cultivation to eradicate banana weevil over a period of 40 years. Chlordecone is chemically stable,and has a strong affinity for fatty tissues. It is therefore able to bioaccumulate in animals and thereby represent a threat to ecosystems and man. Soils from banana plantations in Martinique are heavily contaminated with chlordecone. Possible transfer of these molecules from agricultural watersheds to the aquatic environment and the organisms that live in it is feared. The hypothesis that ecosystems of Martinique might be highly contaminated with this organochlorine pesticide was investigated. Chlordecone levels were measured in various freshwater and marine species. Data show a heavy contamination of many carnivorous and detritivorous species (fish and prawns). Concentrations measured in wild or farmed tilapia are among the highest ever reported in the literature. Some coastal species (fish and lobster) were also found to be contaminated, although to a lesser extent. Given the biogeochemical behavior of chlordecone, the most likely route of contamination is food. Detected concentrations in marine organisms are below the tolerated limits established by authorities. however. the impact of other sources of exposure, namely, contaminated water and root vegetables, remains to be investigated.
Aquatic Living Resources (0990-7440) (EDP Sciences), 2006-04 , Vol. 19 , N. 2 , P. 181-187

Droits : EDP Sciences, IFREMER, IRD 2006
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2006/publication-1662.pdf
DOI:10.1051/alr:2006016
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/1662/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : International audience
Chlordecone (Kepone) is an organochlorine insecticide that has been used as insecticide and fungicide. In the French West Indies, Guadeloupe and Martinique, it was intensively applied to banana fields from 1973 to 1993 to control root borers. This pesticide undergoes no significant biotic or abiotic degradation in the environment and is still present in soils where it was applied. It was only in 1999 that health and environmental authorities became aware of the extent of the chlordecone pollution of environmental media, including soils, waterways, and the food chain. Earlier observations and toxicological studies have demonstrated that chlordecone is a reproductive and developmental toxicant, neurotoxic and carcinogenic in rodents, and is an endocrine-disrupting chemical because of its estrogenic properties both in vitro and in vivo. Several surveys have confirmed that the French West Indian population continues to be exposed to this chemical though consumption of contaminated foodstuffs. Here, we report the findings of various epidemiological studies conducted in the French West Indies to assess the impact of environmental exposure to chlordecone on the health of the population.
ISSN: 0944-1344

hal-01150382
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01150382
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01150382/document
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01150382/file/Chlordecone%20exposure%20and%20adverse%20effects%20in%20French%20West.pdf
DOI : 10.1007/s11356-015-4621-5

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
Persistent organic pollutants have not been conclusively associated with length of gestation or with preterm birth. Chlordecone is an organochlorine pesticide that has been extensively used to control the banana root borer population in the French West Indies. Data from the Timoun Mother-Child Cohort Study conducted in Guadeloupe between 2004 and 2007 were used to examine the associations of chlordecone concentrations in maternal plasma with the length of gestation and the rate preterm birth in 818 pregnant women. Data were analyzed using multivariate linear regression for length of gestation and a Cox model for preterm birth. The median plasma chlordecone concentration was 0.39 µg/L (interquartile range, 0.18-0.83). No correlation was observed with plasma concentrations of p,p'-dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethene (ρ = 0.017) or polychlorinated biphenyl 153 (ρ = -0.016), the other main organochlorine compounds detected. A 1-log10 increase in chlordecone concentration was associated with a decreased length of gestation (-0.27 weeks; 95% confidence interval: -0.50, -0.03) and an increased risk of preterm birth (60%; 95% confidence interval: 10, 130). These associations may result from the estrogen-like and progestin-like properties of chlordecone. These results are of public health relevance because of the prolonged persistence of chlordecone in the environment and the high background rate of preterm births in this population.
ISSN: 0002-9262

hal-01010740
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01010740
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01010740/document
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01010740/file/Chlordecone%20Exposure%20final.pdf
DOI : 10.1093/aje/kwt313

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/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Chronic liver damage due to viral or chemical agents leads to a repair process resulting in hepatic fibrosis. Fibrosis may lead to cirrhosis, which may progress to liver cancer or a loss of liver function, with an associated risk of liver failure and death. Chlordecone is a chlorinated pesticide used in the 1990s. It is not itself hepatotoxic, but its metabolism in the liver triggers hepatomegaly and potentiates hepatotoxic agents. Chlordecone is now banned, but it persists in soil and water, resulting in an ongoing public health problem in the Caribbean area. We assessed the probable impact of chlordecone on the progression of liver fibrosis in the population of contaminated areas, by developing a mouse model of chronic co-exposure to chlordecone and a hepatotoxic agent, carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). After repeated administrations of chlordecone and CCl4 by gavage over a 12-week period, we checked for liver damage in the exposed mice, by determining serum liver transaminase (AST, ALT) levels, histological examinations of the liver and measuring the expression of genes encoding extracellular matrix components. The co-exposure of mice to CCl4 and chlordecone resulted in significant increases in ALT and AST levels. Chlordecone also increased expression of the Col1A2, MMP-2, TIMP-1 and PAI-1 genes in CCl4-treated mice. Finally, we demonstrated, by quantifying areas of collagen deposition and alpha-SMA gene expression, that chlordecone potentiated the hepatic fibrosis induced by CCl4. In conclusion, our data suggest that chlordecone potentiates hepatic fibrosis in mice with CCl4-induced chronic liver injury
ISSN: 0378-4274

hal-01274228
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01274228
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01274228/document
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01274228/file/Chlordecone%20potentiates%20hepatic%20fibrosis%20%281%29.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.toxlet.2016.02.005

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Chemical Society
Résumé : International audience
Chlordecone is an organochlorine pesticide that was extensively used in the French West Indies to fight weevils in banana plantations from 1973 to 1993. This has led to a persistent pollution of the environment and to the contamination of the local population for several decades with effects demonstrated on human health. Chlordecone accumulates mainly in the liver where it is known to potentiate the action of hepatotoxic agents. However, there is currently no information on its in situ localization in the liver. We have thus evaluated a matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) imaging quantification method based on labeled normalization for the in situ localization and quantification of chlordecone. After validating the linearity and the reproducibility of this method, quantitative MALDI imaging was used to study the accumulation of chlordecone in the mouse liver. Our results revealed that normalized intensities measured by MALDI imaging could be first converted in quantitative units. These quantities appeared to be different from absolute quantities of chlordecone determined by gas chromatography (GC), but they were perfectly correlated (R(2) = 0.995). The equation of the corresponding correlation curve was thus efficiently used to convert quantities measured by MALDI imaging into absolute quantities. Our method combining labeled normalization and calibration with an orthogonal technique allowed the in situ absolute quantification of chlordecone by MALDI imaging. Finally, our results obtained on the pathological mouse liver illustrate the advantages of quantitative MALDI imaging which preserves information on in situ localization without radioactive labeling and with a simple sample preparation.
ISSN: 0003-2700

hal-01118103
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01118103
PUBMED : 24837422
DOI : 10.1021/ac500313s

Éditeur(s) : Université de Bretagne Occidentale
Résumé : This activity report entitled (“Chemical contamination of the marine environment: from measurement to risk assessment”) summarizes the main stages my career at Ifremer from November 1975 to june 2013. The first chapter deals with the seawater chlorination and chlorinated waters released into the sea, the identification and the conditions of the formation of various by-product of these processes. The second chapter concerns PCBs, their nature, their chemical analysis in environmental matrices. PCBs are considered as the best examples of persistant and bioaccumulable compounds and therefore, in all this report they are flagship contaminants to which other groups of studied substances are compared. The third chapter refers to studies performed within marine pollution monitoring programme RNO (Réseau National d’Observation de la qualité de l’environnement marin - National observation network on the quality of the marine environnment) and well as other more limited studies like a first assessement on the presence of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in the French coastal marine environment and last, on the use of zebra mussel (Dresseinia polymorpha) as sentinelle species of the chemical contamination in the Seine estuary. The next two chapters are about bioaccumulation and about the distribution of organic contaminants (PCBs, dioxins, PAHs, PBDEs) in marine organisms and in marine foodwebs. These studies aim at a better knowledge of the presence and fate of these compounds in fish and marine organisms eitheir in an environmental perspective (chapter IV) or in order to contribute to the assessment of their health impact, or more precisely to estimate therelative part of fish and seafood to the human exposure to chemical residues (chapter V). To conclude, the chapter VI concerns the PCB and dioxin fingerprints in the various studied marine matrices ; analytical and environmental interpretations of the observed differences are suggested as well as possible applications.
Ce bilan d’activité intitulé « Contamination chimique du milieu marin : de la mesure à l’évaluation des risques » retrace les étapes essentielles de mon parcours à Ifremer entre novembre 1975 et juin 2013. Le premier chapitre traite de la chloration dans l’eau de mer et les rejets chlorés en mer, l’identification des sous-produits formés lors de ces traitements, les conditions de leur formation. Le second chapitre concerne la nature des PCB et leur analyse dans les matrices environnementales. Les PCB considérés comme les meilleurs exemples de composés persistants bioaccumulables constituent les « contaminants phares » de l’ensemble de ce travail et c’est par rapport aux PCB que sont comparés et évalués les autres groupes de contaminants étudiés. Le troisième chapitre se rapporte aux travaux réalisés dans le cadre de la surveillance RNO (Réseau National d’Observation de la qualité de l’environnement marin) ainsi que dans des études ponctuelles comme un premier inventaire sur les niveaux de présence des dioxines (PCDD et PCDF) dans l’environnement marin littoral ou sur l’utilisation de la moule zébrée (Dresseinia polymorpha) comme espèce indicatrice de la contamination de l’estuaire de la Seine. Les deux chapitres suivants sont consacrés aux travaux sur la bioaccumulation et aux contaminants organiques (PCB, dioxines, HAP, PBDE) dans les organismes et les réseaux trophiques marins soit dans une perspective environnementale sur le devenir des contaminants dans le vivant (chapitre IV) soit dans le cadre de l’évaluation des risques sanitaires ou, plus précisément, de l’estimation de la contribution de la consommation des produits de la mer à l’exposition de l’homme aux résidus chimiques (chapitre V). Pour terminer, le chapitre VI concerne les empreintes de PCB et de dioxines dans les différentes matrices étudiées ; une interprétation analytique et environnementale des différences observées est proposée ainsi que de possibles applications.

Droits : 2013 UBO
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00168/27946/26237.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00168/27946/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Perinatal exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals may affect thyroid hormones homeostasis and impair brain development. Chlordecone, an organochlorine insecticide widely used in the French West Indies has known estrogenic and progestin properties, but no data is available, human or animal, on its action on thyroid hormone system. Our aim was to evaluate the impact of perinatal exposure to chlordecone on the thyroid hormone system of a sample of infants from the Timoun mother-child cohort in Guadeloupe and their further neurodevelopment. Chlordecone was measured in cord blood and breast milk samples. Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free tri-iodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4) were determined in child blood at 3 months (n=111). Toddlers were further assessed at 18 months using an adapted version of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ). Cord chlordecone was associated with an increase in TSH in boys, whereas postnatal exposure was associated with a decrease in FT3 overall, and in FT4 among girls. Higher TSH level at 3 months was positively associated with the ASQ score of fine motor development at 18 months among boys, but TSH did not modify the association between prenatal chlordecone exposure and poorer ASQ fine motor score. Perinatal exposure to chlordecone may affect TSH and thyroid hormone levels at 3 months, differently according to the sex of the infant. This disruption however did not appear to intervene in the pathway between prenatal chlordecone exposure and fine motor child development.
ISSN: 0013-9351

hal-01134317
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01134317
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01134317/document
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01134317/file/Perinatal%20exposure%20to%20chlordecone_accepted.pdf
PUBMED : 25747818

Résumé : La chlordécone est un insecticide organochloré qui a été utilisé aux Antilles de 1972 à 1993 afin de combattre un charançon s’attaquant aux racines des bananiers. Très persistant dans le milieu, la molécule est véhiculée des terres contaminées vers les systèmes aquatiques par le biais des matières particulaires fines, contaminant ainsi le milieu marin côtier. L’objectif de l'étude était de caractériser le devenir de la chlordécone dans les réseaux trophiques de la macrofaune côtière. Il s'agissait en particulier de tenter d’identifier ses voies d’entrée à partir des apports terrigènes et sa propagation au sein de ces réseaux. Le modèle d'étude est une baie de la Martinique, avec les herbiers à phanérogamme comme système de production primaire. Les résultats obtenus ont montré que les apports terrigènes ont une influence sur les niveaux de contamination de la faune marine, les individus d’une même espèce et aux caractéristiques comparables apparaissant plus contaminés lorsqu’ils sont proches des exutoires des rivières que lorsqu’ils en sont plus éloignés. Cette contamination présente une bioamplification le long des réseaux trophiques, depuis les producteurs primaires jusqu’aux espèces de rang trophique élevé tels que les carnivores de deuxième ordre (facteur de bioamplification trophique estimé entre 1,4 et 1,9). Le lieu de vie et le mode d’alimentation ont ainsi été identifiés comme jouant une rôle important sur les niveaux de contamination. Des phénomènes de bioaccumulation ont été avérés chez deux espèces pour lesquelles le niveau de contamination par la chlordécone est élevé, Chloroscombrus chrysurus et Callinectes danae. Mais cette caractéristique ne s’applique pas à toutes les espèces étudiées. Une diminution des niveaux de contamination a même été observée au cours de la vie de la langouste blanche Panulirus argus. Elle est principalement attribuée à une migration de l’espèce vers le large entre les phases juvéniles et adultes. Le présent rapport apporte ainsi des connaissances nouvelles sur les modalité de transfert de la chlordécone en milieu marin, en particulier sur la capacité de transfert de la molécule dans les réseaux trophiques, sur la capacité des organismes à la bioaccumuler ainsi que sur l'influence du mode de vie et de l’alimentation des espèces sur leurs niveaux de contamination. Il met en évidence le rôle de l’écologie des espèces dans les niveaux de contamination. Malgré les progrès accomplis, ces résultats restent encore fragmentaires.

Droits : 2011 Ifremer
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00036/14684/11986.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00036/14684/

Résumé : In the French West Indies islands, the transfer of chlordecone (kepone) from treated grounds towards the marine environment has been proved since the beginning of 2000s. In 2008, a maximal residue limit (MRL) was set at 20 µg / kg wet weight in fish and seafood, and therefore intensified the concern about the risks of high human exposure to the pesticide due to the consumption of contaminated marine products. To answer this concern, several sampling cruises were carried by public authorities and by Ifremer in order to analyze the contamination of the fish fauna around the Guadeloupe island. The data collected within these surveys improved our knowledge on the characteristics of the contamination of fish fauna and allowed to assess the distribution of this contamination in relation with optional geographical plans of the marine area around the Guadeloupe island. Further, this study was completed by an assessment of the fishery activity in areas which are the more exposed to the chlordecone contamination, taking into account data from a fishery observatory which has been set up in the archipelago since 2007. The results allow to precise two main characteristics of distribution of the contamination: its spatial and specific dimensions. About the spatial aspect, contamination of the fish fauna is centred on marine areas which are closely downstream contaminated watersheds. Concerning the marine fauna, two species groups are particularly exposed: the very coastal ones, particularly those living at or close to the mouth of rivers, and crustaceans wherever they live. Among fishes, the most contaminated species belong to many various groups which are present in the very coastal belt, more or less regularly. Lastly, this study provided orders of magnitude on the relative part of the fishery activity around the archipelagos for which the contamination is of great concern.
Aux Antilles, l’existence d’un transfert de la molécule de chlordécone des sols traités vers le milieu marin est avérée depuis le début des années 2000. L’établissement d’une limite maximale de résidus à 20 µg/kg pf pour tous les produits marins en 2008 y a intensifié la préoccupation vis-à-vis des risques d’exposition des populations humaines par les produits de la pêche. Pour répondre à cette préoccupation, depuis 2008, plusieurs campagnes d’échantillonnage ont été réalisées par les services de l’Etat (DAAF) et par l’Ifremer pour analyser la contamination de la faune halieutique autour de la Guadeloupe. Les données collectées de 2008 à 2011 par ces plans d’observation ont été utilisées pour actualiser les connaissances sur les caractéristiques de la contamination de la faune halieutique autour de la Guadeloupe, et analyser cette distribution en référence à différents schémas de segmentation du domaine marin. L’étude a été complétée par une analyse de l’activité halieutique dans les secteurs les plus sensibles à la contamination, à partir des données du système d’informations halieutiques déployé dans l’archipel depuis 2007. L’analyse a permis de préciser deux traits majeurs de cette distribution : sa dimension spatiale et son caractère spécifique. Sur le plan spatial, la contamination de la faune halieutique est centrée sur les espaces maritimes situées immédiatement en aval des bassins versants contenant des sols contaminés. Sur le plan faunistique, deux groupes apparaissent particulièrement sensibles, les espèces très côtières, en particulier celles fréquentant les embouchures des cours d’eau, et les crustacés, quelque soit leur milieu de vie. Chez les poissons, parmi les espèces contaminées, on trouve un large cortège d’espèces fréquentant plus ou moins régulièrement la bande littorale. Enfin, l’étude a permis de fournir des ordres de grandeur sur la part de l’activité halieutique de l’archipel directement concernée par cette pollution.

Droits : 2013 Ifremer
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00136/24762/22840.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00136/24762/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : International audience
ISSN: 0944-1344

hal-01231841
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-01231841
DOI : 10.1007/s11356-014-3134-y

Éditeur(s) : Université des Antilles Études caribéennes
Résumé : La Martinique est actuellement en proie un taux de chômage chronique élevé et une augmentation constante du coût de la nourriture et des autres produits essentiels. La catastrophe écologique s’ajoute à ce problème sociétal avec la contamination par la chlordécone d'environ un tiers de la surface de la terre et les eaux environnantes de cette île. La chlordécone est extrêmement toxique et récalcitrante, son utilisation fut interdite aux Etats-Unis dès 1979 mais elle fut utilisée continuellement jusqu'en 1993. L’agriculture alternative est un moyen pratique pour atténuer le malaise social profond résultant d’un taux de chômage chroniquement élevé et d’une dépendance totale envers les couteuses importations alimentaires de la France métropolitaine. L'un des objectifs de base de cette approche serait de ne pas utiliser de produits chimiques. La culture de certaines plantes solanacées comestibles, comme le poivron, semble être possible dans cet environnement avec l’installation de serres semi-ouvertes, dans lesquelles la lumière naturelle, les précipitations et les températures chaudes toute l'année sont abondantes. Dans cette perspective, l'empreinte carbone de telles productions réalisées en Martinique pourraient être livrées au Royaume-Uni avec une empreinte carbone sensiblement inférieure à celle de poivrons cultivés dans des serres chauffées autonomes d’Europe.
Martinique is currently beset by, among other things, chronic high unemployment rate and steadily rising cost of food and other life essentials. Overlaying this societal problem is the continuing ecological disaster of chlordecone contamination of about 1/3 of the land surface, and surrounding waters. Chlordecone is extremely toxic and recalcitrant; its use was banned in the USA in 1979, but it was used continually until 1993. Alternative agriculture is a practicable means to alleviate the deep social unrest arising from chronically high unemployment rate and near total dependency on costly food imports from metropolitan France. One of the basics aims of this approach would be the zero use of synthetic chemicals for pest-and weed-control for all crops. Cropping of certain edible Solanaceae fruits, viz, bell pepper, appears to be feasible under a semi-open greenhouse environment, in which natural sunlight, rainfall and warm year-round temperatures would be deployed maximally. The carbon footprint of this prospective Martinique produce delivered to the UK might be substantially lower than that of bell peppers grown in stand-alone heated greenhouses in mainland Europe.
Martinique

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
urn:doi:10.4000/etudescaribeennes.6710
http://journals.openedition.org/etudescaribeennes/6710