Chlordecone is a very persistent carcinogenic insecticide widely used until 1993 in the French West Indies to treat banana plantations against weevils. Because of its persistence over several hundred years, the West Indian populations are particularly exposed. Scientific studies show that it is responsible for an alarming rate of prostate cancer in Martinique and Guadeloupe.
Scientific developments in hair analysis now make it possible to measure exposure to a wide variety of toxic chemical pollutants. Hair analysis is considered a major biometric tool for studying the relationship between exposure and specific diseases.
Benzene is a solvent widely used in industry and is a volatile organic compound (VOC). As a result, it is inhaled, sometimes in large quantities, during professional activities.
Exposure to agricultural pesticides is a public health issue. Good Food Good Farming and EXPOZOM are proud to present the results of the pan-European Pesticide-CheckUp project, which aims to establish the European exposome.
Human exposure to pesticides is mainly through food via the consumption of fruit, vegetables and cereals contaminated by pesticide residues.
Perfluoroalkyl PFAS are used in many everyday consumer products, such as
The high bioaccumulation of perfluoroalkyls (PFAS) has been demonstrated in Arctic animals such as polar bears, seals, bald eagles, birds and fish. There is great concern about the pollution of the environment (water, air, soil) by PFAS and their impact on health. Due to their heavy use, only PFOA and PFOS have health effects reported in the scientific literature, unlike other PFAS, which have not been the subject of many toxicological studies.
Today, it is difficult to escape from phthalates, the compounds used in the manufacture of most plastics: flooring, food packaging, toys, medical devices, etc.
Innovation for some, toxic for others, where does the danger of plastic come from, its impact on human health and why is it vital to act to eliminate plastic from our daily lives?
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are synthetic molecules used in many industrial applications until they were banned due to their toxicity and their very persistent nature in the environment.
In France, more than 10% of working people are exposed to carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic (CMR) chemicals in the course of their professional activities. Measuring exposure enables the level of exposure to be assessed and is an essential tool for the prevention of occupational diseases and occupational health.
What are plasticisers?
EXPOZOM proposes a simple and economical way to measure exposure to Hazardous Chemical Agents and Carcinogenic, Mutagenic or Toxic to Reproduction chemicals and to reduce the risk of occupational diseases in companies.
"Biocides" products are pesticides that are authorised for use by the general public.
The application of cosmetic products on the hair (shampoo, detangling cream, colouring) does not modify the hair structure. These cosmetic products do not interfere with the substances sought because the analysis techniques used are selective and specific.
Hair removal is not invasive, i.e. there is no incision in the skin. It is performed using a pair of scissors to cut the hair as close as possible to the scalp.
Chronic diseases have environmental and dietary origins, but are also related to our lifestyles. Preventing these diseases requires limiting exposure to the toxic substances to which the body is exposed.
Hair colour is related to the presence of melanin in the hair shaft. Hair analysis is carried out with selective and specific instruments, i.e. they only detect the signal of the substances sought. Melanin does not interfere with the signal measured for the substances of interest.
People who are bald, have significant baldness or shave their hair do not have enough material to collect a sufficient amount of hair to perform an analysis.
Compared to other biological matrices such as blood or urine, hair analysis has many benefits:
The hair analysis consists of two steps:
Due to the incorporation of the various substances in the bloodstream into the hair structure, it is possible to analyse the body's functional markers and exposure markers for substances that have been absorbed by the body.
Air pollution and hair treatments can deposit the desired substances on the outer surface of the hair. Washing the analysed hair strand with suitable solvents removes much of this contamination.
Biomarkers and pollutants embedded in the hair structure are protected by the hair scales (epidermis). For this reason, all substances present in the hair are protected from external aggressions (UV light, washing, etc.).