Chlordecone has long been used in the banana plantations of Martinique and Guadeloupe to fight against weevils, insect pests of banana trees. Very persistent and bioaccumulative, this pesticide has been banned since 1993. Due to its persistence, chlordecone is still present in the soil and can be found in certain foodstuffs of plant or animal origin, as well as in the waters of certain catchments used for the production of water intended for human consumption.
Various studies on dietary exposure to chlordecone have been conducted in recent years, leading to the setting of Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs). These studies have also highlighted a risk for certain sub-populations and identified new potentially contaminated foodstuffs. In effect :
- children aged 3 to 6 and self-consumers of fish were in particular more exposed than the rest of the population;
- there was very little information on the contamination of foodstuffs from informal circuits (self-production, donation and roadside) although these foodstuffs are likely to present high levels of contamination.
In this context, the Agency issued an internal request to update the dietary exposure data to assess the risks to which the West Indian populations are exposed and renew its consumption recommendations (Kannari study). ANSES was also asked to determine whether the MRLs currently in force for chlordecone are sufficiently protective for the population of Guadeloupe and Martinique in the context of an overall diet, in particular for terrestrial meat foodstuffs, as well as for sea and fresh water.
The Agency’s recommendations
Exposure of the population to chlordecone
The Kannari study, implemented by ANSES, Public Health France, the Regional Health Observatories with the support of the Regional Health Agencies of Martinique and Guadeloupe, made it possible to characterize the exposure to chlordecone of the population general and different sub-populations of the West Indies previously identified as being potentially overexposed.
This study made it possible to identify the supply circuits, the production zones and the populations most at risk from a health point of view.
An analysis of the link between the mode of food supply and exposure shows that supply via informal circuits (self-production, donations, roadsides) leads to greater exposure than that provided by supply modes in controlled circuits ( large and medium-sized stores, markets, grocery stores). In particular, the following can lead to overexposure compared to the rest of the population:
- self-consumption (consumption from domestic production) of eggs and poultry produced in contaminated areas, due to their high levels of contamination;
- consumption more than four times a week of seafood caught or collected by individuals or from informal circuits;
- consumption of freshwater products fished or collected by individuals or donated;
- consumption more than twice a week of roots and tubers produced in the contaminated area, which proved to be associated with self-consumption of eggs and poultry.
Thus, it appears in particular that the consumption of foodstuffs produced in contaminated areas can lead to overexposure for populations who do not comply with current consumption recommendations, namely not to consume fishery products more than four times a week and not to consume freshwater fish products.
Furthermore, the Agency recommends extending these current consumption recommendations to other foodstuffs from uncontrolled informal circuits, such as eggs.
Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs)
The Agency’s expert appraisal shows that individuals who mainly obtain their supplies from controlled circuits, which guarantee compliance with the MRLs, are not exposed to exceedances of the toxicological reference value (i.e. the maximum value safety in terms of exposure) for chlordecone. The MRLs in force for chlordecone in foodstuffs of animal origin therefore appear to be sufficiently protective.
Furthermore, the expert appraisal shows that a reduction in the MRLs for chlordecone in force in foodstuffs of animal origin would not make it possible to reduce exposure to chlordecone. Indeed, this exposure is very mainly linked to the consumption of foodstuffs from informal circuits in which compliance with the MRLs is not guaranteed. For overexposed populations, the Agency therefore considers it more relevant to act through consumption recommendations rather than by lowering the MRLs.