-In November will begin a study on the impregnation of fish of river by the PCBs, toxic chemicals, conducted jointly by the French Agency (Afssa) food safety and the national Institute of Eve sanitaire (Invs). The objective is to measure the consequences of the regular consumption of fish health, particularly among the residents of the Rhône, Moselle, in the Seine, the Rhine and the sum.
These works are implemented following the many questions raised by these streams PCB pollution, toxic chemicals, commonly referred to as pyralènes.

The study, whose first results will be available in July 2010, will be conducted on four sites which contamination levels are different, but on two sites “witness”, contaminated, located on the edge of the Loire and the Garonne. 900 people will participate in this study. The final report will be published in February 2011.

This investigation responds to a demand of the population and the health and environmental protection associations. May 29, the WWF environmental protection association made public the results of a study on the impregnation of PCBs in people living near the Rhône. Conducted on 52 people, it was revealed that people living near the Rhône and the Seine, and eating fish at least once a week, had rates of PCB in the blood at least five times higher than the rate observed in a control group.

Among the volunteers, the most contaminated people were those who had long lived near the River. Two fishermen, and large consumers of fish, had particularly high rates.

PCBs have long used in the industry as insulators or lubricants, before be banned in 1987.
Probably carcinogenic, they accumulated sediments from streams. According to WWF, studies conducted in the United States and Spain showed the risks of infertility, breast cancer, cancer of colon and neurological problems in people contaminated with PCBs. “Next”.