Clémence Fillol

Prioritization of the biomarkers to be analyzed in the French biomonitoring program

Abstract The aim of this work was to develop a comprehensive prioritization method to select the biomarkers to be monitored in the French national biomonitoring program. The first step consisted in building an exhaustive list of biomarkers. The next step involved prioritizing the initial list of biomarkers according to specific scientific questions about human exposure to chemicals in the environment, and meet logistical, feasibility and budgetary constraints. The Delphi consensus method was used to prioritize biomarkers and was developed in three phases: i) the definition of relevant criteria for selecting biomarkers; ii) the prioritization of the biomarker list based on these criteria and iii) the validation of the list by the stakeholders. Among the eight relevant criteria for selecting biomarkers, hazard identification and social perception were the highest-rated and lowestrated criteria, respectively. After scoring each criterion for each group of biomarkers, and discussing the relative ranking of each group during a round table meeting, the final prioritized list obtained contained both historic (e.g. dioxins or lead) and emerging substances (e.g. phthalates, bisphenol A). Combining rigor and flexibility, our method has clearly helped to build a prioritized list shared and supported by many international actors.

Arsenic urinary concentrations in children living in a naturally arsenic contaminated area.

A cross sectional study using environmental and biological samples was undertaken to assess the association between arsenic (As) soil concentrations and urinary As levels of children living in an area where the soil is naturally As rich, during summer and winter. Twenty-nine children aged between 2 and 7 years from 21 dwellings in the summer study, and 23 of the 29 previous children from 17 dwellings in the winter study, were recruited. Housing characteristics, living conditions and individual characteristics were collected by questionnaire, and urine samples were collected for iAs+MMA+DMA measurement. Soil total As content and bioaccessibility were measured. Urinary As concentrations revealed that the children were not overexposed. Low bioaccessibility combined with moderately high levels in soil could explain this result. The concentration of arsenic in soil and soil-related factors appeared to contribute to the childrens impregnation in summer but not in winter, which could be related to the childrens behavior. This study highlights the need for additional studies of children to better understand their behavior, and obtain reference values in this particular population.

Prenatal exposure to lead in France: Cord-blood levels and associated factors: Results from the perinatal component of the French Longitudinal Study since Childhood (Elfe)

BACKGROUND As a result of the ban on lead in gasoline on 2nd January 2000, the French populations exposure to lead has decreased in recent years. However, because of the acknowledged harmful cognitive effects of lead even at low levels, lead exposure remains a major public health issue. In France, few biomonitoring data are available for exposure to lead in pregnant women and newborn. The purpose of the perinatal component of the French human biomonitoring (HBM) program was to describe levels of various biomarkers of exposure to several environmental pollutants, including lead, among mother-baby pairs. In this paper, we aimed to describe the distribution of cord blood lead levels (CBLL) in French mother-baby pairs, and to estimate the contribution of the main lead exposure risk factors to these levels. METHOD A total of 1968 mother-baby pairs selected from the participants of the perinatal component of the French HBM program were included in the study on lead. Lead levels were analyzed in cord blood collected at child delivery by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The data collected included biological sample, socio-demographic characteristics, environmental and occupational exposure, and information on dietary factors. RESULTS CBLL were quantified for 99.5% of the sample. The CBLL geometric mean was 8.30 μg/l (95% CI [7.94-8.68]) with a 95th percentile of 24.3 μg/l (95% CI [20.7-27.1]). Factors significantly associated with CBLL were tap water consumption, alcohol consumption, shellfish consumption, vegetable consumption, bread consumption, smoking, and the mother being born in countries where lead is often used. CONCLUSION This study provides the first reference value for CBLL in a random sample of mother-baby pairs not particularly exposed to high levels of lead (24.3 μg/l). A substantial decrease in CBLL over time was observed, which confirms the decrease of exposure to lead among the general population. CBLL observed in this French study were in the range of those found in recent surveys conducted in other countries.

L’ÉTUDE ESTEBAN

Esteban au sein du Programme national de biosurveillanceLa mise en œuvre en France d’un Programme national de biosurveillance fait l’objet d’une mention dans la loi dite « Grenelle 2 » (2009), ainsi que dans le deuxieme Plan national sante environnement (PNSE2, 2009-2013). Le pilotage operationnel de ce programme a ete confie a l’Institut de veille sanitaire (InVS), les pilotes administratifs etant les ministeres de la Sante et de l’Environnement. L’elaboration de ce programme [...]