title: Chlordecone Transfer and Distribution in Maize Shoots.
abstract: Chlordecone (CLD) is a persistent organic pollutant (POP) that was mainly used as an insecticide against banana weevils in the French West Indies (1972-1993). Transfer of CLD via the food chain is now the major mechanism for exposure of the population to CLD. The uptake and the transfer of CLD were investigated in shoots of maize, a C4 model plant growing under tropical climates, to estimate the exposure of livestock via feed. Maize plants were grown on soils contaminated with [(14)C]CLD under controlled conditions. The greatest part of the radioactivity was associated with roots, nearly 95%, but CLD was detected in whole shoots, concentrations in old leaves being higher than those in young ones. CLD was thus transferred from the base toward the plant top, forming an acropetal gradient of contaminant. In contrast, results evidenced the existence of a basipetal gradient of CLD concentration within leaves whose extremities accumulated larger amounts of CLD because of evapotranspiration localization. Extractable residues accounted for two-thirds of total residues both in roots and in shoots. This study highlighted the fact that the distribution of CLD contamination within grasses resulted from a conjunction between the age and evapotranspiration rate of tissues. CLD accumulation in fodder may be the main route of exposure for livestock.
authors.affiliation: ECOLAB, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS , Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pascal-Lorber
authors.affiliation: ECOLAB, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS , Toulouse, France.|ADEME , F-49000 Angers, France.
authors.forename: Clarisse
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Létondor
authors.affiliation: ECOLAB, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS , Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Yohan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liber
authors.affiliation: INRA , UMR1331, Toxalim, Research Centre in Food Toxicology, 180 chemin de Tournefeuille, BP 93173, F-31027 Toulouse Cedex 3, France.|Université de Toulouse, INPT, UPS, UMR1331, F-31062 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Emilien L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Jamin
authors.affiliation: ECOLAB, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS , Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Laurent
mesh_terms: D001692:Biological Transport; D007631:Chlordecone / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D007306:Insecticides / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D003313:Zea mays / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007306:Insecticides; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D007631:Chlordecone
keywords: Zea mays; chlordecone; grasses; livestock; organic contaminants; translocation