Four approaches to setting soil health targets and thresholds in agricultural soils.

Soil health is a key concept in worldwide efforts to reverse soil degradation, but to be used as a tool to improve soils, it must be definable at a policy level and quantifiable in some way. Soil indicators can be used to define soil health and quantify the degree to which soils fulfil expected functions. Indicators are assessed using target and/or threshold values, which define achievable levels of the indicators or functions.

First national reference of microplastic contamination of French soils.

The recent emergence of studies on plastic contamination of terrestrial environments has revealed the presence of microplastics (MP) in a variety of soil types, from the most densely populated areas to the most remote ones. However, the concentrations and chemical natures of MP in soils vary between studies, and only a few ones have focused on this issue in France. The MICROSOF project aimed to establish the first national references for French soil contamination by microplastics.

The epoxiconazole and tebuconazole fungicides impair granulosa cells functions partly through the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) signalling with contrasted effects in obese, normo-weight and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) patients.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), frequently associated to obesity, is the main reproductive disorder in women in age to procreate. Some evidence suggests that pesticides can result in alterations of the female reproductive system, including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Here, we detected two fungicides, Tebuconazole (Tb) and Epoxiconazole (Epox) in the soils and waters of French area.

In vitro exposure to triazoles used as fungicides impairs human granulosa cells steroidogenesis.

Triazoles are the main components of fungicides used in conventional agriculture. Some data suggests that they may be endocrine disruptors. Here, we found five triazoles, prothioconazole, metconazole, difenoconazole, tetraconazole, and cyproconazole, in soil or water from the Centre-Val de Loire region of France.

Pesticide Residues in French Soils: Occurrence, Risks, and Persistence.

Contamination of the environment by pesticide residues is a growing concern given their widespread presence in the environment and their effects on ecosystems. Only a few studies have addressed the occurrence of pesticides in soils, and their results highlighted the need for further research on the persistence and risks induced by those substances. We monitored 111 pesticide residues (48 fungicides, 36 herbicides, 25 insecticides and/or acaricides, and two safeners) in 47 soils sampled across France under various land uses (arable lands, vineyards, orchards, forests, grasslands, and brownfields).

Innovative combination of tracing methods to differentiate between legacy and contemporary PAH sources in the atmosphere-soil-river continuum in an urban catchment (Orge River, France).

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) have been released by human activities during more than a century, contaminating the entire atmosphere - soil - river continuum. Due to their ubiquity in the environment and their potential severe biological impacts, PAH became priority pollutants and were targeted by environmental public agencies. To better manage PAH pollution, it is necessary to identify unambiguously the sources and pathways of those compounds at the catchment scale, and to evaluate the persistence of historical PAH pollution in the environment especially in those urban contexts concentrating multiple PAH sources.

Impact of urban pressure on the spatial and temporal dynamics of PAH fluxes in an urban tributary of the Seine River (France).

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) produced by numerous anthropogenic activities are ubiquitous in the environment and have become a priority concern due to their potential severe biological impacts. A better understanding of PAH transfer at the catchment scale is therefore necessary to improve the management of PAH contaminants and protect rivers. Furthermore, the impact of changes in hydrological regimes and land uses on PAH fluxes should be specifically investigated.

Tracing the sources of suspended sediment and particle-bound trace metal elements in an urban catchment coupling elemental and isotopic geochemistry, and fallout radionuclides.

The excessive supply of contaminants from urban areas to rivers during the last centuries has led to deleterious impacts on aquatic ecosystems. The sources, the behavior, and the dynamics of these contaminants must be better understood in order to reduce this excessive anthropogenic pollution. Accordingly, the current research investigated the particle-bound trace element (TE) contamination of the 900-km Orge River (Seine basin, France) and the potential sources of these particles (agricultural or forest soils, channel banks, road deposited sediments), through the analysis of multiple fallout radionuclides, elemental geochemistry, and lead isotopic composition on suspended particulate matter (SPM) collected during a hydrological year at four stations following an increasing urbanization gradient (300 to 5000 inhab.