Chlordecone has not been used in Guadeloupe and Martinique since 1993 but this pesticide, recognized as an endocrine disruptor and carcinogen, is still present in the soils and waters of the West Indies. ANSES conducted a new expert appraisal on the risks associated with exposure of the population of these islands and detailed 4 means of reducing dietary exposure.
- 14% of Guadeloupeans and 25% of Martiniquans have a chlordecone level above 0.4 micrograms per liter of plasma, set by ANSES.
- Classified as a probable carcinogen by the WHO in 1979, this pesticide continued to be used in the French West Indies to control the weevil.
- Various studies have highlighted its impact on the psychomotor development of babies and on fertility as well as its link with various hormone-dependent cancers.
ANSES confirms in its new expert report, published on 6 December 2022, that the West Indian population presents a risk of overexposure to chlordecone, a pesticide classified as a possible carcinogen in 1979 by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Although this product was banned in mainland France in 1990, its use was maintained in the banana plantations of Guadeloupe and Martinique until 1993 through ministerial derogations. According to estimates, at least a third of the agricultural surfaces and the marine littorals of the two islands would be polluted by the toxic product.
The health organization has detailed 4 recommendations to follow in these departments to reduce “strongly at risk of exceeding the external health value it established in 2021”.
Chlordecone: limit the consumption of certain foods
Various studies have confirmed chlordecone contamination of soils, wildlife and various local foodstuffs in the West Indies. “Today, soil pollution with chlordecone persists because of its exceptional resistance to biotic and abiotic degradation. Through food, populations continue to be exposed to it”confirms the IRSET (Institute for Research in Health, Environment and Work) on its site.
To reduce contact with the carcinogenic substance, ANSES recommends:
- limit to four times a week the consumption of fishery products from short circuits (recreational fishing, subsistence or purchase on the roadside);
- not to eat freshwater fishing products from the no-fishing zones defined by prefectural order;
- limit to twice a week the consumption of roots and tubers from gardens in areas known to be contaminated. In case of uncertainties, it is best to contact the advisors of the allotment garden program (JAFA).
Chlordecone in the West Indies: beware if you have chickens
The new ANSES report also warns against “the consumption of self-produced eggs in an area known to be contaminated contributes greatly to exposure to chlordecone”. If you have chickens in your home, the agency recommends keeping the animals as far away from polluted soil as possible and feeding them uncontaminated feed.
She also advises getting closer to the JAFA allotment garden programs piloted by the regional health agencies in Guadeloupe and Martinique. They allow to “check the concentration of chlordecone in the soil and provide personalized advice on breeding practices suitable for home gardens”.
The health organization concludes that new data is needed to “to identify other means of reducing exposure to chlordecone”. She believes that we should also expand “the field of investigation of exposure to other chemical contaminants” in a way to “adapt and complete the measures to protect populations in the West Indies”.
