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Due to their attractive properties and low cost, plastics are widespread used in daily products. One of their most interesting property is their low degradability, but it becomes a drawback when plastics are released in the environment, because it leads to substantial and long-term accumulation of p

The objective of the Mic GIVER project is to explore the biotechnological potential of micromycetes for the in-situ bioremediation of 4 groups of various but emblematic HNS (Hazardous and Noxious Substances): Glyphosate and AMPA, Picric acid, crude oil, waxes. These HNS represent a persistent threat

Phytoplankton lifestyle is characterized by episodic blooms attaining high cell densities and covering large sea surfaces. When dominated by toxin-producing species, harmful algal blooms constitute a potential threat for public health and aquaculture activities resulting in huge annual economic loss

The project addresses the evaluation of significant environmental threats of known and unknown plastic additives, which are added to soils in quantities comparable to those of harmful (agro-)chemicals. The aims of this project are to 1) evaluate the toxicity of the cocktails of contaminants assoc

Recent research works have emphasized the consequences of extended low-level exposures to large populations. It is increasing recognized that the onset and progression of many age-related neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, may be triggered and/or accelerated by environmental expos

This project is studying by processing three major, well-characterised polymers with their most common additives in order to understand how NIAS are formed, evaluate their toxicity, see if their occurrence can be decreased by modifying processing parameters and assess if polymer recycling is increas

Poly and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are surface-active agents used in in a multitude of manufactured products including firefighting foam, waterproof clothing, non-stick cookware, food packaging, personal care products, electronics and metal plating and even pesticides. Transported over long d

The general population, including pregnant women, is exposed to endocrine disruptors, including phthalates and synthetic phenols (PSPs). These compounds are used in a large number of consumer products such as plastics, epoxy resins, cosmetics and food packaging, leading to daily exposure of pregnant

Transported by currents, plastics strand on the coastal areas, important places of artisanal fisheries. Plastics can harbor pathogens that are involved in human epidemics. It is thus legitimate to ask whether these pathogens and their virulence & resistance genes (PVR) can be transferred to marine a

Global changes expose wild populations to increasing pollution and emerging pathogens, which could have complex interactive effects on organism health. However, the ways in which multiple stressors and intraspecific variability scale up to shape health and disease risk remain poorly understood. Base

The permissible exposure limit in many industrial countries is 85 dB(A) for an 8 hours working day. However, a daily noise exposure at 85 dB(A) is responsible for “auditory fatigue”, a temporary decrease of hearing sensitivity at the end of the day that has been largely ignored so far. When combinin

UV filters are widely used for skin protection against cancer. Their impact on corals was poorly investigated but it was shown that octocrylene and several benzophenone filters exert direct detrimental effects on corals, and that other ingredients in sunscreens and cosmetics exacerbate their toxicit

The UNEP Minamata Convention aims to reduce human exposure to toxic mercury (Hg). It is believed that anthropogenic Hg emissions have increased surface ocean Hg levels 3-fold since pre-industrial times. The estimated Hg increase requires a thorough understanding of both the anthropogenic and the nat

One French adult out of 7 now bears at least one tattoo, a proportion peaking to almost 1 out of 4 in young adults (

People spend nearly 90% of their time indoors where they are exposed to many pollutants. Among these pollutants, semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) are of particular concern as most of them are suspected to be endocrine disruptors (EDCs) with adverse health effects such as reprotoxic, neurotoxi

The project will evaluate the impact of environmental stress caused by the daily use of personal protection equipment and skin hygiene during Covid-19 pandemic, on skin integrity and skin immune surveillance. These measures constitute major physical and psychological burden for patients and health

Anthropogenic activities generate a stress for wildlife and have negative effects on animals’ health. However, with correlative studies in the wild it is a challenge to disentangle between the effects of different pollutants. Laboratory studies are needed to reveal causal relationships. Yet, for tra

Mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant, able to be converted into highly neurotoxic monomethylmercury (MMHg), a compound bioaccumulated and bioamplified in food webs. Microorganisms regulate environmental MMHg level, by controlling directly inorganic Hg (IHg) methylation and MMHg degradation or indirect

We isolated a metal-hypertolerant unicellular photosynthetic microalga from an environment contaminated with uranium, a chemotoxic radionuclide. This green microalga was identified as a Coelastrella species. Because it is able to live in culture media contaminated with high concentrations of uranium

The hazard characterization of all pharmaceutical compounds is not only technically challenging but resource and time demanding. Grouping and read-across approaches are essential to assure the hazard assessment of all pharmaceuticals in due time and at lower cost. These approaches assume that substa

The presence of numerous chemical and microbiological contaminants in aquatic ecosystems can lead to significant degradation of the ecological status of natural waters and increase human and animal exposures to these contaminants through drinking water, crop irrigation, or recreational uses; they ma

Metal nanoparticles (NPs) are used in all industrial sectors. Titanium dioxide and iron oxide NPs are widely manufactured for daily life products such as toothpaste, food, medicines and paints but also in agriculture, where they are developed as pesticides or fertilizers. Despite studies revealing t

MARINE is a 42-month project that aims at exploring chemical interactions between radionuclides released in seawater and marine organisms, from a multiscale mechanistic perspective. Seawater is one of the top priority environmental compartment regarding chemical pollutants contamination, including

The Chroco project proposes to investigate simultaneously both dimensions of the toxicant exposure, concentration and time, to characterize contamination impacts from omics to apical levels with deepened findings contextualized by exposure intensity and duration. In particular, the project will addr

The interaction of pollutants with cardiac disease has only recently emerged. 2,3,7,8- tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is the most toxic and persistent organic pollutant that bioaccumulates in the body through the food chain. The toxicity of TCDD is mediated by the activation of Aryl Hydrocarbon

Pervasive endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) pollution is both a healthcare challenge and a threat to biodiversity. The impact of EDC pollution on humans, and other vertebrates, has been extensively studied, and numerous pathologies triggered by EDC exposure at different stages of life have been di

The risk assessment linked to the radiocontamination of the environment after a nuclear accident is a major ecological issue but is still surrounded by controversial results and conclusions on the real impact of such events on flora and fauna inhabiting the targeted zones. Moreover, the potential un

The Arctic is one of the planet’s most rapidly warming regions, which will likely alter the biogeochemical processes involved in the bioavailability and transfer of essential (i.e. nutrients such as Cu, Zn, Se) and non-essential (i.e. contaminants such as Pb, Cd, Hg) trace elements. Simultaneously,