This is a substance that has never been studied in air. For the first time in France, the regional air quality observatory ATMO Occitanie has launched a study to identify endocrine disruptors in the air we breathe. Over the course of three years, the air in five places in Occitania will be carefully studied to determine the proportions of these substances, chemical or natural, that can disrupt the normal hormonal functioning of living beings. Thus, the air of the two metropolitan areas of the region, Toulouse and Montpellier, as well as the air of agricultural areas in Aude and Haute-Garonne will be analyzed. The example of the city of Ales (Gar) with its industrial past will also be studied.
Prior to this study, ATMO worked with the Sorbonne for a year to develop the protocol. A preliminary study was launched in March, which revealed the presence of 46 of the 56 molecules sought in the air. “The presence of endocrine disruptors has been studied in water, but never in the air compartment, so it was necessary to determine an air capture method using a neutral resin cartridge capable of trapping particles and gases,” explains Dominik Tilak, CEO of ATMO. Occitania. “The sensors are installed at a height of four to five meters to be as close as possible to the air that the population breathes. We were surprised to find certain molecules that we identified. »
Not so clean air!
For example, phthalates are detected in 80% of samples. Six to seven types of these substances have been found in the air, present in cosmetics, household items and vinyl floors. More worryingly, the sensors detected lindane in all samples, even though the insecticide used by farmers has been banned since 1998. “It is still present in the air, which shows the persistence of the products despite their ban,” analyzes Dominik Tilak. “This is the same observation for PCBs, banned since 1987.”
ATMO Occitanie does not comment on the effects and health risks associated with the presence of these endocrine disrupting substances in the air, but hopes that health agencies will use this data from the three-year study to compile an assessment of the health of the air in which we find ourselves. breathe.
Source: Le Parisien
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