Martinique is a French overseas department whose economy relies heavily on
agriculture. Organochlorine pesticides, mainly chlordecone, were used for
banana cultivation to eradicate banana weevil over a period of 40 years.
Chlordecone is chemically stable,and has a strong affinity for fatty
tissues. It is therefore able to bioaccumulate in animals and thereby
represent a threat to ecosystems and man. Soils from banana plantations in
Martinique are heavily contaminated with chlordecone. Possible transfer of
these molecules from agricultural watersheds to the aquatic environment and
the organisms that live in it is feared. The hypothesis that ecosystems of
Martinique might be highly contaminated with this organochlorine pesticide
was investigated. Chlordecone levels were measured in various freshwater and
marine species. Data show a heavy contamination of many carnivorous and
detritivorous species (fish and prawns). Concentrations measured in wild or
farmed tilapia are among the highest ever reported in the literature. Some
coastal species (fish and lobster) were also found to be contaminated,
although to a lesser extent. Given the biogeochemical behavior of
chlordecone, the most likely route of contamination is food. Detected
concentrations in marine organisms are below the tolerated limits
established by authorities, however, the impact of other sources of
exposure, namely, contaminated water and root vegetables, remains to be
investigated.