Arve Valley: heavy metals detected on children's hair

Conducted on September 16 on 76 children and six adults on the initiative of the Coll’Air Pur collective, the study revealed cadmium contamination “three times greater than the contamination of the control population“(nearly a thousand adult and child subjects).

“We need to know the reasons for this contamination, smoking and fertilizers cannot explain, on their own, such cadmium poisoning in the Arve valley.“, observes the collective in a letter addressed to the prefect of Haute-Savoie on Wednesday.

Borrowed every day by thousands of trucks and traditionally using wood heating, the highly industrialized valley of the Arve connects Geneva to Mont Blanc and Italy.

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The collective specifies that the 3 centimeters of hair taken from each subject make it possible to study up to “three months of contamination“. Therefore, the study does not address the winter period.”where pollutants from wood heating“are the most significant.

Nine of the profiles tested carry a “significant rare earth contamination“and are considered”at risk” car “corresponding to twice the prevalence of the control population“, further details this study completed on October 17 with the toxSeek laboratory, which evokes”important dosages“.

According to the collective, 62% of people “with slight or significant rare earth contamination“have developed dermatological symptoms and 37% of this same population present neurasthenic symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disturbances or concentration.

“The results regarding cadmium contamination are worrying […]. Cadmium is a heavy metal with known effects on the lungs, kidneys, bones, cardiovascular system, brain and reproductive system. At chronic exposure doses […], this heavy metal will have an impact on the body in the medium and long term“, underlines the general practitioner Mallory Guyon, member of the collective Environnement Santé 74, stressing that it is”time to act urgently“.

“These results confirm the cocktail of toxic pollutants that impact our children on a daily basis.“, deplores Coll’Air Pur in its press release.

It requires “a new time“and”without delay“that an impact study be carried out in order to assess”the health risks inherent in the toxic cocktail resulting from incineration“, industry and traffic”important, tant local qu’international“which crosses the valley.