High percentages of heavy metals in the French population: food identified as the primary source
Heavy metals are present throughout the French population. This is shown in the ESTEBAN report, released by the government agency Santé publique France, in charge of biosurveillance, which updated data obtained 10 years earlier.
Santé publique France analyzed biological samples (hair, urine, blood) from approximately 1 100 children and 2 500 adults between 2014 and 2016 to determine how many metals were present in French people. Participants also completed an eating habits questionnaire. Furthermore, the researchers compared the findings to data from a comparable study comprising figures for the two-year period 2006-2007.
The image that emerged depicts a population in which heavy metals are prevalent in percentages ranging from 97% to 100%. Furthermore, with the exception of copper and nickel, heavy metals are found in higher amounts in French individuals of all ages than in the rest of Europe.
According to the authors, heavy metals are mostly derived through diet. Cadmium, for instance, is found in cereals, which explains why children and young people are more vulnerable. Arsenic, chromium, cadmium, and mercury are primarily absorbed through fish and marine fish products, but significant amounts of copper are found in vegetables and cereals, particularly if organic, because copper is permitted as a pesticide.
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