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International audience; Chlordecone (CLD) is a toxic organochlorine pesticide frequently used in the French West Indies until 1993, resulting in a contamination of soil and food. This study assessed the behaviour of CLD residues and CLD processing factors (PFs) during four home cooking processes: cooking in a conventional oven ("oven"), frying ("pan"), cooking in a microwave oven ("microwave") and grilling ("grill"). These four processes were applied to six types of naturally contaminated beef (kidney, liver, rib, chuck, top-sirloin and sirloin). Targeted analyses with isotopic dilution were carried out by ID-HPLC-MS/MS to determine CLD concentrations before and after each cooking process and the corresponding processing factors. HPLC-HRMS/MS was used to find potential organochlorine degradation by-products and/or CLD metabolites present in samples by target, suspect and non-target screening. Cooking processes and especially microwave cooking led to a significant decrease in the CLD contained in beef (2% < PF < 17%). Traces of 5b-hydro-CLD and of another mono-hydro-CLD were found in the uncooked liver but no CLD degradation by-product was observed in the cooked liver.

In situ chemical reduction (ISCR) has been identified as a possible way for the remediation of soils contaminated by chlordecone (CLD). Evidences provided by the literature indicate an association between the development of prostate cancer and CLD exposure (Multigner et al. 2010). In a previous in vitro study, we demonstrated that the two main dechlorinated CLD derivatives formed by ISCR, CLD-1Cl, and CLD-3Cl have lower cytotoxicity and proangiogenic properties than CLD itself (Legeay et al. 2017). By contrast, nothing is known on the in vivo proangiogenic effect of these dechlorinated derivatives. Based on in vitro data, the aims of this study were therefore to evaluate the in vivo influence of CLD and three of its dechlorinated metabolites in the control of neovascularization in a mice model of prostate cancer. The proangiogenic effect of CLD and three of its dechlorinated derivatives, CLD-1Cl, CLD-3Cl, and CLD-4Cl, was evaluated on a murine model of human prostate tumor (PC-3) treated, at two exposure levels: 33 μg/kg and 1.7 μg/kg respectively reflecting acute and chronic toxic exposure in human. The results of serum measurements show that, for the same ingested dose, the three metabolite concentrations were significantly lower than that of CLD. Dechlorination of CLD lead therefore to molecules that are biologically absorbed or metabolized, or both, faster than the parent molecule. Prostate tumor growth was lower in the groups treated by the three metabolites compared to the one treated by CLD. The vascularization measured on the tumor sections was inversely proportional to the rate of dechlorination, the treatment with CLD-4Cl showing no difference with control animals treated with only the vehicle oil used for all substances tested. We can therefore conclude that the proangiogenic effect of CLD is significantly decreased following the ISCR-resulting dechlorination. Further investigations are needed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which dechlorination of CLD reduces proangiogenic effects in prostate tumor.

International audience; Persistent organic pollutants have not been conclusively associated with length of gestation or with preterm birth. Chlordecone is an organochlorine pesticide that has been extensively used to control the banana root borer population in the French West Indies. Data from the Timoun Mother-Child Cohort Study conducted in Guadeloupe between 2004 and 2007 were used to examine the associations of chlordecone concentrations in maternal plasma with the length of gestation and the rate preterm birth in 818 pregnant women. Data were analyzed using multivariate linear regression for length of gestation and a Cox model for preterm birth. The median plasma chlordecone concentration was 0.39 µg/L (interquartile range, 0.18-0.83). No correlation was observed with plasma concentrations of p,p'-dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethene (ρ = 0.017) or polychlorinated biphenyl 153 (ρ = -0.016), the other main organochlorine compounds detected. A 1-log10 increase in chlordecone concentration was associated with a decreased length of gestation (-0.27 weeks; 95% confidence interval: -0.50, -0.03) and an increased risk of preterm birth (60%; 95% confidence interval: 10, 130). These associations may result from the estrogen-like and progestin-like properties of chlordecone. These results are of public health relevance because of the prolonged persistence of chlordecone in the environment and the high background rate of preterm births in this population.

International audience; BACKGROUND: The insecticide chlordecone was extensively used in the French West Indies to control banana root borer. Its persistence in soils has led to the widespread pollution of the environment, and human beings are still exposed to this chemical. Chlordecone has been shown to impair neurological and behavioural functions in rodents when exposed gestationally or neonatally. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of prenatal and postnatal exposure to chlordecone on the cognitive, visual, and motor development of 7-month-old infants from Guadeloupe. METHODS: Infants were tested at 7 months (n=153). Visual recognition memory and processing speed were assessed with the Fagan Tests of Infant Intelligence (FTII), visual acuity with the Teller Acuity Card, and fine motor development with the Brunet-Lezine. Samples of cord blood and breast milk at 3 months (n=88) were analyzed for chlordecone concentrations. Postnatal exposure was determined through breast feeding and frequency of contaminated food consumption by the infants. RESULTS: Cord chlordecone concentrations in tertiles were associated with reduced novelty preference on the FTII in the highly exposed group (β=-0.19, p=0.02). Postnatal exposure through contaminated food consumption was marginally related to reduced novelty preference (β=-0.14, p=0.07), and longer processing speed (β=0.16, p=0.07). Detectable levels of chlordecone in cord blood were associated with higher risk of obtaining low scores on the fine motor development scale (OR=1.25, p

International audience; CONTEXT: Chlordecone, an environmentally persistent organochlorine insecticide used intensively in banana culture in the French West Indies until 1993, has permanently polluted soils and contaminated foodstuffs. Consumption of contaminated food is the main source of exposure nowadays. We sought to identify main contributors to blood chlordecone concentration (BCC) and to validate an exposure indicator based on food intakes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We used a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) completed by a sample of 194 pregnant women to estimate their dietary exposure to chlordecone and compared it to blood levels. In a first approach, chlordecone daily intake was estimated as the product of daily eaten quantity of 214 foodstuffs, multiplied by their chlordecone content, and summed over all items. We then predicted individual blood chlordecone concentration with empirical weight regression models based on frequency of food consumption, and without contamination data. RESULTS: Among the 191 subjects who had BCC determination, 146 (76%) had detectable values and mean BCC was 0.86 ng/mL (range < LOD-13.2). Mean per capita dietary intake of chlordecone was estimated at 3.3 microg/day (range: 0.1-22.2). Blood chlordecone levels were significantly correlated with food exposure predicted from the empirical weight models (r=0.47, p