Persistent pollutants in the Alps – a sociological approach

At the crossroads of social and environmental sciences, this research focuses on the circulation and presence of these particles in mountain areas. It identifies and documents the knowledge produced and scientific practices on the role of persistent pollutants in the context of climate transition.

For less than a decade, PFAS and microplastics have been proliferating in the media and attracting more and more attention from environmental scientists, as researchers identify and question their harmfulness in bodies and the environment. For some, these pollutants have become unavoidable environmental issues, for others a health scandal. Their omnipresence and toxicity make them the agents of a threat described in the superlative.

Based on a survey combining bibliographical research, sociological interviews and fieldwork, the aim of this study is twofold. On the one hand, it aims to reconstruct the socio-historical context in which persistent pollutants have come to be dealt with scientifically, particularly in the Alps. On the other hand, this research examines in situ how environmental science researchers respond in practice to the environmental and health challenges posed by PFAS and microplastics.