The exploitation of arsenic from the Salsigne mine between 1892 and 2004 left significant toxic residues in the Orbiel valley, in Aude.
Abnormally high levels of arsenic have been detected in at least three children living near an old mine of the Orbiel valley, in Aude. Aged 4, 7 and 9 years old, the three young boys have arsenic levels of respectively 12, 20 and 15 per gram of creatinine, whereas the usual level is 10 micrograms/g. Two of them have been suffering from stomach aches and unexplained gastros for several years. Remember that creatinine is a normal metabolic waste product produced by the body. Measuring it allows you to know the condition and functioning of the kidneys.
The operation of the Salsigne gold and arsenic mine between 1892 and 2004 left significant toxic residues in the valley, but the floods of October 15, 2018 only revived the concerns of the inhabitants. When it overflowed, the Orbiel river shifted the risk geographically. Samples were taken from the soil. The “initial results showed that arsenic concentrations in surface and groundwater were within the ranges observed in previous years,” the report said. report of the Regional Health Agency (ARS) Occitanie.
The Regional Health Agency “is waiting”
Questioned by AFP, the father of one of the children asks that the three little ones “be taken care of for a medical check”. Because if “the arsenic is partly eliminated by the human organism, but the rest can be fixed”. According to a general practitioner interviewed by The Independent, the ARS “is waiting”. “Today, I tell people whose land has been flooded to avoid growing vegetables, to use wells. As soon as we have the recommendations of the HAS, I will be able to tell people what the we can do, if there is a possibility of reimbursing expensive analyses.”
But Jean-Jacques Morfoisse, deputy director general of ARS Occitanie, said at a press conference: “a positive test is only the witness of recent impregnation with arsenic in the previous 15 days and in in no case the witness of a lasting exposure. For those whose tests are above the usually accepted standards, this test will have to be repeated within two months”.
Arsenic, a powerful poison
Arsenic is a highly toxic element and a regulated pollutant since 2005 in Europe. Work published last May showed that the arsenic present in the water of private wells can alter the structure of the heart and increase the risk of heart attack as well as stroke. Its toxicity is such that saccording to another study published in 2007more than 137 million people living in more than 70 countries are likely affected by chronic arsenic poisoning from drinking water.
.
