"No exhaustive study has made it possible to confirm significant facts of contamination"
of products of animal origin (meat, eggs, fish) from the Gulf of Fos-sur-Mer, a highly polluted area, assured the National Agency on Tuesday. food, environmental and occupational health safety (ANSES).
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ANSES was seized following the publication by a residents' association in 2018 of a study demonstrating the presence of high-dose pollutants such as dioxin, PCB or lead in foods produced in the first industrial port area of France. In its opinion released on Tuesday, the agency concluded that no study could confirm these results, following an expertise
"carried out within the framework of the protocols in force based on local data produced by various State services and existing scientific studies ”
.
ANSES recommends the development of a larger sampling, in order to
"detect exceedances of the regulatory maximum levels in foodstuffs intended for human consumption and produced by professionals in the geographical area studied"
.
A specific budget allocation is allocated to
“launching this exploratory plan from the end of 2021”
.
Analyzes on more than 50 chemical compounds
In 2018, the association for the defense and protection of the coast of the Gulf of Fos (ADPLGF) made public the results of tests, which it had carried out by laboratories, of seven food products of local origin (from Fos- sur-Mer in Eyguières), analyzing more than 50 chemical compounds. A quarter of the beef samples tested exceeded the regulatory threshold for dioxins, highly toxic organic pollutants according to the World Health Organization, against 0.3% of meat samples at the national control level. The result was also alarming on the eggs of hens raised in the open air at the foot of the Alpilles, with the regulatory threshold being exceeded in half of the samples tested (against 2% nationally).
The edges of the Etang de Berre are occupied by one of the most important industrial zones in Europe, which in particular concentrates oil refining and petrochemical activities.
The inhabitants of the Gulf of Fos are particularly exposed to the pollution generated by these activities, between the industrial zone of Fos and that of Lavera.
