VIDEO. PFAS. Eternal pollutants in soil and water south of Lyon, according to a study launched by a collective of residents and led by a Canadian laboratory

The results of new studies were presented at a public conference this Wednesday, December 18 in Mions, about ten kilometers southeast of Lyon. An inventory of PFAS contamination in the Lyon metropolitan area.

“We are trying to create a vegetable garden, to have vegetables without pesticides. If it means poisoning our children even more with our own vegetables, that’s a shame,” deplores Aurélien, a resident of Mions, member of the Ozon l’eau Saine collective, who participated in a vast study, the conclusions of which were released on December 18.

200 samples

Analyzes have already been carried out on PFAS in the department, but these last two studies are of an unprecedented scale. Last April, a group of residents, the Ozon l’eau Saine collective, organized a major participatory campaign in the Lyon region. Around a hundred residents achieved more than 200 soil samples in nearly 60 municipalities around Lyon. Samples taken on the surface. 47 water samples were also analyzed by a Canadian laboratory. Scientists looked for the presence of 80 eternal pollutants.

The results of these studies were revealed this Wednesday, December 18, in Mions. Louis Delon, spokesperson for the collective, and Sébastien Sauvé, professor of environmental chemistry at the University of Montreal, took stock of soil and water contamination in the Lyon metropolitan area.

Near the Arkema and Daikin factories, in Oullins-Pierre-Bénite, contamination with eternal pollutants is higher. Contamination within a radius of several kilometers.

“We see that there is a central zone, around the factory which is more contaminated with PFAS over a few kilometers. Regardless of the winds, it is a zone of 5 to 7 km which is contaminated around the factories. We see also that there is also contamination which extends in a north-south axis, depending on the prevailing winds”explains Professor Sébastien Sauvé. If contamination is less in the east-west axis, on the other hand, traces of contamination on the north-south axis extend up to 20 or 30 km.

The idea of ​​a soil study carried out with the Ozon l’eau santé collective was born from an observation, that of the contamination of eggs around Lyon, explains the scientist. “Chickens when eating outside, which walk on the ground and which when eating will ingest particles from the soil”, summarizes Sébastien Sauvé.

For the latter, however, we must go further in the investigations.

The population around Lyon has greater exposure to PFAS. It’s worth doing impregnation studies, to see how much PFAS people have in their blood.

Sébastien Sauvé

Professor of environmental chemistry, University of Montreal

Analyzes of PFAS impregnation should also be correlated with the lifestyle habits of exposed people to understand which are the most important exposure factors, according to the scientist.

Another observation: PFAS are retained “quite strongly” in the soil and poorly absorbed by plants, “on the other hand, they are very easily bioaccumulated by animals, humans and fish”, assures the professor of environmental chemistry. “For the vegetable gardens – except in the area near the factories which is much more contaminated – I wouldn’t be too worried.”

On the right bank of the Rhône, south of Lyon, the urban density is undeniable. Pierre-Bénite and Oullins grew along the Autoroute du Soleil, in the shadow of a chemical site. The Brotillon stadium also offers a breathtaking view of the Arkema factory. A very problematic situation since the revelations on the PFAS scandal.

“I lived in Pierre-Bénite for 20 years. We went to the stadium, we played football. We had never heard of perfluorinated chemicals”explains a former Pierre-Bénitain. He discovered contamination with eternal pollutants in the press. The latter is said today “worried”, but also “lost” faced with the latest revelations of pollution figures. “We are worried about the health of residents, for the health of children.”

In an area close to the industrial site there are also several elementary and nursery schools. The parents are torn between feelings of helplessness and fatalism. “I find that the school is close to the stadium and the factory. My daughter does athletics at the stadium every weekend,” explains a mother. “We can only suffer the consequences of the pollution and waste from the factory. We are helpless. With my husband, we had even thought about moving. But economically, these are difficult decisions to make. We deal with it. Now that the damage is done, what can we do for the health of our children?” she asks herself.

I hope that the factory will become aware of the real dangers posed by PFAS and think about the community, the people who live nearby, and make efforts.

A resident of Oullins-Pierre-Bénite

For many local residents, it is the feeling of abandonment that dominates even if they welcome the initiative of the Ozon Healthy Water Collective. “We would like the town hall, the State, to do something. It affects the children, the schools, our homes. Where is the solution? Who can listen to us?” wonders another local resident.

“We have the impression that nothing is moving. Things have been known for several years and nothing is moving forward. We have the impression of not being heard. We are in a working-class neighborhood, the problem is not taken into account account”, deplores another mother as she leaves school.