In total, ANSES examined the results of 130 milk samples (milk, raw milk, whole milk, mixture of tank milks, mainly of bovine origin and partly of goat origin) taken over a period between three and eleven days following the fire, i.e. from September 29 to October 7, 2019.
The contaminants defined urgently and as a priority sought during this first wave of samples are dioxins-furans, PCBs, PAHs and metallic trace elements (lead, cadmium, mercury). Since these contaminants are potentially present in the environment, regulatory maximum levels exist for foods, which aim to protect the health of consumers. In order to analyze the levels of contamination measured, ANSES made several comparisons, in particular with the contamination values recorded at national level by monitoring and control plans.
In summary, the samples studied by the experts of ANSES’s Collective Emergency Expertise Group:
- do not show any overrun of the regulatory maximum levels (with the exception of an atypical and isolated value for lead) and their median values are below 20% of these maximum levels;
- do not differ significantly, for the statistical indexes considered the most relevant by the experts (75th and 95th percentiles), from the results of the national monitoring and control plans;
- do not show, following spatial regrouping, any upward trend over time;
- present values lower than those which might be measured during previous situations of atypical contamination linked to industrial accidents or significant chronic pollution.
ANSES stresses, however, that elements of uncertainty remain regarding the risk of contamination of milk by the fallout from the fire and recommends additional work to better identify the dispersion of contaminants in the environment and to identify possible contamination stains.
For ANSES, lifting the restrictions on the marketing of milk must be accompanied by a reinforced monitoring system, which:
- take into account the type of accommodation and feeding of the animals;
- allows early detection of milk contamination, whether via pasture soil or through watering or local foods likely to have been exposed.
Finally, with regard to the elimination of milk not authorized for consumption, the experts point out that it is necessary to be vigilant regarding its implementation methods and refer in this respect to the provisions in force (Regulation (EC) No. °1069/2009 and its implementing texts).
