We used the measurements, made during our AXA Research Fund "Arctic Mediterranean Mercury" communications project, for a scientific publication in the journal Chemosphere. We are particularly pleased to count Aurelie Lozingot among the authors.
A brief summary of this work
We are exposed to methylmercury, a bioaccumulative neurotoxin, mainly when we eat marine fish. Several studies have shown that high exposure to methylmercury can lead to neurological damage. This is particularly worrying for pregnant women, as exposure to methylmercury has a negative impact on foetal development. People living by the sea are generally exposed to this risk because of their higher consumption of fish. We present here the first study of methylmercury exposure levels in the population living on the Côte d'Azur, using hair mercury concentrations as an indicator of methylmercury exposure. We began taking measurements at the Septembre en Mer 2017 event in Marseille. Then, we continued the AM² adventure by embarking on a sailing boat, but accompanied by the mercury analyser, to carry out several events for the general public along the Côte d'Azur as far as Villefranche-sur-Mer. We cut and analysed locks of hair during each event, involving a total of 404 people, including more than 30 from the MIO. We found that older people who ate more fish had the highest mercury concentrations. What's more, compared with other Mediterranean and European countries, the population living along the Côte d'Azur is among those most exposed to mercury. The global implementation of the Minamata Convention must therefore be pursued in order to reduce our exposure to methylmercury.
Petrova, M. V., Ourgaud, M., Boavida, J. R. H., Dufour, A., Tesán Onrubia, J. A., Lozingot, A. & Heimbürger-Boavida, L.E. Human mercury exposure levels and fish consumption at the French Riviera. Chemosphere 127232 (2020). doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.127232 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653520314259
