INnovative Strategies to establish Safe livestock rearing systems In Chlordecone Contaminated Areas – A model approach developed in the French West Indies to be implemented worldwide in contaminated areas – INSSICCA

Overall, this research project aims at evaluating local animal rearing systems in terms of livestock exposure to CLD (WP1), characterizing the bioavailability of CLD, its behavior and metabolization in the animal organism (WP2), and establishing innovative strategies to bind CLD via activated carbon in the digestive tract (WP3). On the basis of the results obtained in WP1, WP2 and WP3, safe local livestock rearing systems will be proposed in agricultural areas historically contaminated by CLD, and assessed in terms of economical efficiency (WP4) and social acceptability (WP5). This project fully complies with the objectives of ANR’s Plan d’action 2016 DEFI 5 AXE 4 “Development of sustainable and innovative production systems to ensure safe food for consumers”, and its related orientations 19 “sustainable and safe food” and 20 “integrative approach of productive systems”. From the studies on soil ingestion (WP1), recommendations will be provided to farmers and other stakeholders in order to avoid where possible the entry of CLD into the food chain. The analytical approaches which are going to be developed in WP2 are of major importance to identify and quantify CLD and its metabolites fluxes in the organism. On the basis of mechanisms described in WP1, WP2 and WP3, sustainable rearing strategies will be proposed and applied in close relation with the local producers and the meat sector Inter-Professional Organization of Guadeloupe (IGUAVIE) and Martinique (AMIV), the livestock health defense group (GDS), the Chambers of Agriculture, the Direction of Agriculture, Food and Forest (DAAF) and the General Direction for Food, Ministry of Agriculture (DGAL). In WP4 and WP5, socio-economic approaches will be developed in order to (i) promote adaptive governance and sustainable development particularly in rural territories of tropical islands and to (ii) evaluate conditions for adoption of the proposed innovations.

The main results obtained over the 2017-2018 period are summarized below:
• Picket practices lead to daily soil ingestion that can be as much as 10% of total dry matter ingested under the least favorable conditions, representing daily soil ingestion levels of around 100 g of soil per 100 kg live weight. An inverse relationship is established between forage supply and soil ingestion. Knowing that soil chlordecone is bioaccessible during digestive transit, these soil ingestion results make it possible to evaluate the exposure of ruminants to CLD according to soil contamination levels (WP1).
• The half-lives of elimination in ruminants are estimated at about twenty days in the small ruminant (goat, sheep) and about forty days in the cattle. In urine, CLD is eliminated as free CLD and conjugated CLDOH. Concentrations excreted in CLD are low and predominantly in the form of CLDOH-G. In feces, CLD is eliminated as free CLD and free CLDOH. Concentrations excreted in CLD and CLDOH are important and a CLD / CLDOH ratio of 2/1 has been determined. These toxicokinetic data are needed to consider ruminant decontamination strategies (WP2). This work required an important work of optimization and validation of analytical methods allowing the analysis of CLD and Chlordecol (CLDOH) in biological matrices.
• In order to evaluate the potential for CCD sequestration in contaminated soils, biochars and activated charcoal based on locally available biomass (coconut and sargasse) were produced and characterized. Biochars generally have low specific surface areas and their activation leads to a very significant increase in the specific surface area and therefore to a more efficient adsorption. Bioaccessibility and environmental availability tests have clearly demonstrated the efficiency of activated carbons in reducing the mobility of chlordecone (up to 90%).

In order to make the project and its results available to the stakeholders involved in the Chlordecone crisis, the creation of a website has been realized (www.inssicca.fr). This website aims to present the scientific results obtained. by the INSSICCA partners and give the opportunity to the professional actors to use them. The site also allows everyone to make contact with the actors of the INSSICCA program.
The results obtained are the result of collaborative work between research laboratories (Covachim, University of the West Indies, Animal Research Unit, INRA Pointe à Pitre, LEAE CART, University of Liège, PBM Unit (Marine Pesticides and Biotoxins, ANSES)). , Maisons-Alfort, Paris, UR AFPA, University of Lorraine). Regular meetings with the profession (April 2016, April 2017), the GOSS and the partners (November 2016, June 2017, October 2017) were used to discuss results and refine research questions.

1) Fournier, A., Feidt C., Lastel M.L., Archimède H., Thomé J.P., Mahieu M., Rychen G., 2017. Toxicokinetics of chlordecone in goats: Implications for risk management in French West Indies. Chemosphere, 171, pp. 564-570.
2) Jurjanz, S., Collas, C., Lastel, M.-L., Godard, X., Archimède, H., Rychen, G., Mahieu, M., Feidt, C., 2017. Evaluation of soil intake by growing Creole young bulls in common grazing systems in humid tropical conditions. Animal, 11 (8), pp. 1363-1371.
3) Yehya, S., Bakkour, H., Eter, D., Baroudi, M., Feidt, C., 2017. Adsorption isotherm and kinetic modeling of chlordecone on activated carbon derived from dates stones. Journal of Applied Sciences Research, 13 (2), pp. 20-28.
4) Yehya, S., Delannoy, M., Fournier, A., Baroudi, M., Rychen, G., Feidt, C., 2017. Activated carbon, a useful medium to bind chlordecone in soil and limit its transfer to growing goat kids. PLOS ONE, 12 (7), pp. e0179548--.
5) Delannoy, M., Yehya, S., Techer, D., Razafitianamaharavo, A., Richard, A., Caria, G., Baroudi, M., Montarges-Pelletier, E., Rychen, G., Feidt, C., 2018. Amendment of soil by biochars and activated carbon to reduce chlordecone bioavailability in piglets. Chemosphere, 210, pp. 486-494.
6) Lastel, M.-L., Fournier, A., Jurjanz, S., Thomé, J.-P., Joaquim-Justo, C., Archimède, H., Mahieu, M., Feidt, C., Rychen, G., 2018. Comparison of chlordecone and NDL-PCB decontamination dynamics in growing male kids after cessation of oral exposure: Is there a potential to decrease the body levels of these pollutants by dietary supplementation of activated carbon or paraffin oil? Chemosphere, 193, pp. 100-107.
7) Saint-Hilaire, M., Inthavong, C., Bertin, T., Lavison-Bompard, G., Guérin, T., Fournier, A., Feidt, C., Rychen, G., Parinet, J., 2018. Development and validation of an HPLC-MS/MS method with QuEChERS extraction using isotopic dilution to simultaneously analyze chlordecone and chlordecol in animal livers. Food Chemistry, 252, pp. 147-153.

The chlorinated polycyclic ketone pesticide chlordecone (CLD) was used from 1971 until 1993 in the French West Indies to fight against the banana black weevil (Cosmopolites sordidus). Its application resulted in a long term pollution of soils which is thought to last 5 to 7 centuries for the heaviest polluted soils. About 1/4 of the total agricultural acreage of the two French overseas departments (Guadeloupe, Martinique) are moderately to heavily polluted and national survey plans carried out since 2008 in slaughterhouses revealed unexpected contamination of animal products. Indeed, CLD residues were detected in about 1/3 of bovine carcasses which originated from CLD contaminated areas, where 6 to 9% were above the Maximum Residue Limit set by the European Union (MRL = 100 µg/kg fat, CE 839/2008). Backyard animal productions (pigs, small ruminants) were not taken into account in the survey but the risk of CLD contamination of food producing animals is proven and it may represent an important source of CLD exposure for local consumers. Thus, the Martinique and Guadeloupe populations are concerned by CLD contaminated food and there is a growing demand for solutions that would enable maintenance of local animal production and production of safe animal products, even in historically contaminated areas.

Overall, this research project aims at evaluating local animal rearing systems in terms of livestock exposure to CLD (WP1), characterizing the bioavailability of CLD, its behavior and metabolization in the animal organism (WP2), and establishing innovative strategies to bind CLD via activated carbon or biochars (WP3). On the basis of the results obtained in WP1, WP2 and WP3, safe local livestock rearing systems will be proposed in agricultural areas historically contaminated by CLD, and assessed in terms of economical efficiency (WP4) and social acceptability (WP5). This project fully complies with the objectives of ANR’s Plan d’action 2016 DEFI 5 AXE 4 “Development of sustainable and innovative production systems to ensure safe food for consumers”, and its related orientations 19 “sustainable and safe food” and 20 “integrative approach of productive systems”. From the studies on soil ingestion (WP1), recommendations will be provided to farmers and other stakeholders in order to avoid where possible the entry of CLD into the food chain. The analytical approaches which are going to be developed in WP2 are of major importance to identify and quantify CLD and its metabolites fluxes in the organism. On the basis of mechanisms described in WP1, WP2 and WP3, sustainable rearing strategies will be proposed and applied in close relation with the local producers and the meat sector Inter-Professional Organization of Guadeloupe (IGUAVIE) and Martinique (AMIV), the livestock health defense group (GDS), the Chambers of Agriculture, the Direction of Agriculture, Food and Forest (DAAF) and the General Direction for Food, Ministry of Agriculture (DGAL). In WP4 and WP5, socio-economic approaches will be developed in order to (i) promote adaptive governance and sustainable development particularly in rural territories of tropical islands and to (ii) evaluate conditions for adoption of the proposed innovations.

The approach implemented in this project and the proposed innovative strategies to secure the rearing systems have to be considered as a “model approach” to be applied further in organic pollutant contaminated areas worldwide.


Key words: chlordecone, soil, livestock, food safety, rearing strategies, economical efficiency, social acceptability