Contamination of some aquatic species with the organochlorine pesticide chlordecone in Martinique

Abstract

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.

Pesticide exposure of pregnant women in Guadeloupe: Ability of a food frequency questionnaire to estimate blood concentration of chlordecone

“…Onions (AFSSA, 2007) and crustaceans (Coat et al, 2006) have both been found to be contaminated by chlordecone in monitoring studies. We cannot rule out the possibility that the selection of some food in the EWM as positively or negatively associated with blood chlordecone levels may be due to their correlation with other potential predictors in dietary patterns.…”

Natural transformation of chlordecone into 5b-hydrochlordecone in French West Indies soils: statistical evidence for investigating long-term persistence of organic pollutants

“…Among the total of 1800 t of CLD produced over time in the world, one sixth was spread in Martinique and Guadeloupe (but to a lesser extent in that second case) (Le Déaut and Procaccia 2009). This led to severe contamination of soils (Cabidoche et al 2009), surface waters and groundwater (respectively, Franco 2005 andGourcy et al 2009), plant products (Cabidoche and LesueurJannoyer 2012), fresh water and seafood (Coat et al 2006 and, and livestock (e.g. Jondreville et al 2014) and wildlife (Cavelier 1980).…”

Effects of chlordecone on 20-hydroxyecdysone concentration and chitobiase activity in a decapod crustacean, Macrobrachium rosenbergii

“…In the French West Indies (FWI), the tropical climate promotes the rapid development of pests which exerts significant pressure on crops leading to the use of considerable amounts of pesticides in these regions (Bocquené and Franco, 2005). The use of organochlorine pesticides first started in the 1950's and led to widespread contamination of the environment (Coat et al, 2006). Because of their physicochemical properties, organochlorine pesticides are persistent in the environment and are known to be accumulated along food chains, resulting in pronounced ecotoxicological damage (Cailleaud et al, 2009;Matsumura, 1975).…”