The proportion of adults with detectable chlordecone in the blood reaches 81.31% in Guadeloupe and 85.51% in Martinique, according to the Kannari 2 study, conducted on some 1,170 adults in Guadeloupe and 1,150 in Martinique and published Wednesday, June 24.
In Guadeloupe, 14.31 TP3T of adults exceed the internal toxicological reference value (RTV), set by ANSES at 0.4 micrograms per liter, a rate that reaches 18.71 TP3T in Martinique. This threshold marks the level above which The risk of health effects appearing in the population cannot be excluded" , SpF specifies.
Launched in 2024, the Kannari 2 study updates a previous work from 2013-2014which established that more than nine out of ten people in the French West Indies were infected. Despite a " slight improvement", the impregnation" persists at a widespread level "among the inhabitants of both territories, with however " significant disparities“.
The slight decline in contamination is explained in particular by " the fact that some foods, even if they comply with the requirements for placing them on the market, are not chlordecone-free" Jacques Rosine, SpF's regional delegate for the Antilles, explained to AFP. The link between food and contamination remains strong, according to the study's findings. Fish, crustaceans and molluscs are associated with a higher level of impregnation" , explained Marc Ruello, epidemiologist at the health agency.
Place of residence and age also play a role. Residents of the " Contaminated areas, whether on land or at sea, exhibit average levels of contamination two to three times higher. "to those living in uncontaminated areas," the public health agency states in its study. Fishermen and farmers thus have the highest levels of exposure, while the concentration level " increases with age, with a notable difference between those under 50 and those 50 or older.“.
These results come shortly after the Paris Court of Appeal confirmed on Monday the dismissal of the criminal case in the scandal, closing the door to a reopening of the investigation after twenty years of proceedings. The lawyers for the plaintiffs, who denounced a " dark day", announced an appeal to the Court of Cassation.
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600 years in the soil
Classified as a possible carcinogen since 1979, chlordecone was used in the French West Indies from 1972 until 1993, under special exemption, even though it had been banned in mainland France since 1990. This pesticide, which was used extensively in banana plantations to combat the banana weevil, has caused lasting contamination of several thousand hectares of farmland, waterways, and the marine environment. It can remain in the soil for up to 600 years.
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People heavily exposed to the pesticide benefit from " support mechanisms, particularly with dieticians" and regular blood tests, Mr. Rosine stressed, adding that health recommendations must remain "close to people's lives"“.
The Kannari 2 study was presented at a scientific symposium on chlordecone, which opened Tuesday, June 24, at the University of the French West Indies in Martinique and continues until Thursday. In parallel, an interministerial mission is underway in Martinique and will travel to Guadeloupe in order to define the terms of compensation "victims of this poisoning," said Anne-Gaëlle Baudouin, the Director General of Overseas Territories, during the opening press conference of the scientific symposium.
This mission takes place within the framework of the recent Caliphate law, recognizing the state's responsibility and giving the government one year to propose compensation arrangements.
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