ANR JCJC (starting grant) – SINGULAR (2024 – 2028) : Is living daily on volcanic SoIls daNGerous? New constraints from a mULti-isotopic AppRoach (SINGULAR)

Human health is increasingly threatened by profound environmental changes, disproportionally affecting developing countries. The degradation and desertification of soils due to climate change is one of the greatest, with direct impacts on soil particle remobilization, air pollution and human exposure to contaminants over extended periods of time. In active volcanic areas, this long-lasting reworking hazard is intensified by the continuous release of large amount of loose and easily resuspended sub-2mm volcanic ash into the Earth’s atmosphere. Yet, our global understanding of the main toxicity parameters and the biological functions impacted by chronic exposure to resuspended volcanic soil particles by multiple pathways at the whole-body scale remains unclear, limiting our knowledge regarding this major health burden and environmental risk factor.

Based on interdisciplinary research at the interface between volcanology, biology and isotope geochemistry, the SINGULAR project combines pioneering in-vivo approaches, that differ from previous studies both in the problem to be tackled and the methodology to be used, with highly promising stable isotope tracers. So far never investigated in a volcanic health-related context, these geochemical tracers will be developed as part of the project and measured for the first time on a unique collection of volcanic soils, as well as in biological tissues and fluids of living organisms (mice, humans) chronically exposed to volcanic soils with the following objectives:

(1) Characterize the physicochemical properties of all the health-relevant size fractions of several volcanic ash deposits from distinct environments in order to assess their degree of toxicity;

(2) Identify, at the body level, the biological functions impacted by chronic exposure to volcanic soils by multiple exposure pathways (oral ingestion and mouth/nose inhalation) and likely contributing, in a synergistic way, to the development of volcanic-related disorders, with a focus on the entero/hepato-testicular axis;

(3) Quantify the concentrations and, for the first time, the isotopic compositions of potentially toxic metal(loid)s (Cu, Fe, Zn, Se) in multiple body reservoirs of mice and humans chronically exposed to real volcanic soil particles in the aim of developing unconventional and non-invasive isotopic biomarkers.

The ground-breaking nature of this project will help to tackle challenging questions on the health effects of chronic exposure to volcanogenic metal-rich pollutants from a different angle, making it an integral part of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for sustainable science and preventive medicine.

Principal Investigator:

Dr. Lucie Sauzéat (IRD researcher)

Students:

Mountaga Elhadji Diallo (PhD student)

Sanjana Sridhar (Postdoc fellow)

Collaborators:

David Volle (DR INSERM, UCA)

Claude Beaudoin (Prof, UCA)

Hélène Holota  (IR, UCA)

Julia Eychenne (CR CNRS, UCA)

Séverine Moune (Physicienne-adjointe, UCA)

Stéphane Bertani (DR IRD, France/Peru)

Sandro Casavilca-Zambrano (Pathologist/Head INEN, Peru)

Ivan Vlastelic (CR CNRS, UCA/OVSG)

Maria del Cristo Rodriguez Perez (Epidemiologist, HUNSC, Sta Cruz de tenerife, Spain)

Academics

2015 – 2018              PhD in Earth Sciences – Geochemistry: Medical Application, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon (ENS Lyon), France – Advisor: Vincent Balter

2012 – 2014              M.Sc. in Earth Sciences and Environment, University of Grenoble, France

2009 – 2012             B.Sc. in Earth Sciences and Environment, University of Grenoble, France

Peer-reviewed Publications :

Rang A :

[Publications nom= »Sauzeat » prenom= »Lucie » rang= »Rang A »]

Published

2025

• Förster F., Flöter S., Sauzéat L., Reynaud S., Achterberg E., Tsay A., Ferrier-Pagès C.,  Sheldrake T.E. Volcanic ash leaching alters the trace metal distribution within the coral holobiont of Stylophora pistillata, Biogeosciences, EGUsphere journal, in press (2025)
• Förster F., Sauzéat L., Ferrier-Pagès C., Reynaud S., Sheldrake T.E. Redox-sensitive δ65Cu isotopic fractionation in the tissue of the scleractinian coral Stylophora pistillata: A biomarker of holobiont photophysiology following volcanic ash exposure, Metallomics , 17, 2025, mfaf011. https://doi.org/10.1093/mtomcs/mfaf011
• Fourgassie L., Rodríguez-Pérez M.C., Enrique Fuentes Ferrer M., Zwirner E., Borbon A., Colomb A., Jessop D., Moune S., Paris R., Sauzéat L., Tomasek I., Damby D., Dezecache G., Eychenne J. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Adult Population of La Palma (Spain) after the 2021 Tajogaite Eruption: Environmental and Sociodemographic Predictors . Accepted to International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. Manuscript Number: IJDRR-D-24-04250R3
• Katherine Simbaña-Rivera, MC. Rodríguez-Pérez, M. Fuentes-Ferrer, Manuel Zumbado Peña, Ángel Rodríguez Hernández, Julia Eychenne, Lucie Sauzéat, Damary S. Jaramillo-Aguilar, A. Rodríguez Chamorro, Luis D. Boada. Biomonitoring of inorganic pollutants in blood samples of population affected by the Tajogaite eruption: the ISVOLCAN study in Spain.  Toxics 2025, 13(7), 581; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13070581
• Sauzéat L., Moreira M., Holota H., Beaudoin C., Volle D.H. Unveiling the hidden impact of long-term metal-rich volcanic pollution on male reproductive functions using isotope metallomics, Environment International (2025). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2025.109388

2024

• Förster F., Reynaud S., Sauzéat L., Ferrier-Pagès C., Samankassou E., Sheldrake T.E. Increased coral biomineralization due to enhanced symbiotic activity upon volcanic ash exposure, Science of the Total Environment 912 (2024) 168694. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168694
• Amorim, K., Grover, R., Omanović, D., Sauzéat L. et al. Desert dust improves the photophysiology of heat-stressed corals beyond iron. Sci Rep 14, 26509 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-77381-y.

• Bissardon C., Proux O., Gazze S.A., Filhol O., Toubhans B., Sauzéat L., Bouchet S., Lewis A.R., Maffeis T., Hazemann J-L., Bayat S., Cloetens P., Colan R.S;, Charlet L., Bohic S. Intracellular Fate of Sub-Toxic Concentration of Functionalized Selenium Nanoparticles in Aggressive Prostate Cancer Cells. Nanomaterials 2023, 13, 2999. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13232999

2022

• Sauzéat L., Eychenne J., Gurioli L., Boyet M., Jessop D.E., Moretti R., Monrose M., Holota H., Beaudoin C., Volle D.H., Metallome deregulation and health-related impacts due to long-term exposure to recent volcanic ash deposits: New chemical and isotopic insights; Science of the Total Environment, 2022, 829, 154383, doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154383
• Morel JD*, Sauzéat L*, Goeminne L.J.E., Jha P., Williams E., Houtkooper R.H., Aebersold R., Auwer J., Balter V., The mouse metallomic landscape of aging and metabolism. Nat Commun. 2022;13(1):607. doi:10.1038/s41467-022-28060-x. *First author.

2021

• Sauzéat L., Costas-Rodríguez M., Albalat E., Mattielli N., Vanhaecke F., Balter V., Inter-comparison of stable iron, copper and zinc isotopic compositions in six reference materials of biological origin; Talanta, 2021, 221, 121576, DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2020.121576

2019

• Sauzéat L., Bernard E., Perret-Liaudet A., Quadrio I., Vighetto A., Krolak-Salmon P., Broussolle E., Leblanc P., Balter V., Interdisciplinary Case Study: Geochemistry meets the clinic in search for a metal ALS biomarker; iScience, 2019, 25, 531-535, DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2018.12.007

2018

• Sauzéat L., Bernard E., Perret-Liaudet A., Quadrio I., Vighetto A., Krolak-Salmon P., Broussolle E., Leblanc P., Balter V., Isotopic evidence for disrupted copper metabolism in cerebrospinal fluids of ALS patients; iScience 6, 264-271, DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2018.07.023
• Sauzéat L., Laurençon A., Balter V., Metallome evolution in ageing C.elegans and a copper stable isotope perspective; Metallomics 10, 496-503, DOI: 10.1039/C7MT00318H
• Ferrier-Pagès C., Sauzéat L., Balter V., Coral bleaching is linked to the capacity of the animal host to supply essential metals to the symbionts; Global Change Biology 00, 1-13, DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14141

2017

• Hermann A., Sauzéat L., Guillou H., Maury R.C., Chauvel C., Liorzou C., Conte E., 2017. Combined geochemical and geochronological analyses of stone artefacts provide unambiguous evidence of intra- and interisland interactions in Polynesia. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 13, 75–87, DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2017.03.024
• Cordier C., Sauzéat L., Arndt N.T., Boullier A.-M., Batanova V., Barou F., 2017. Quantitative Modelling of the Apparent Decoupling of Mg# and Ni in Kimberlitic Olivine Margins: a Reply to the Comment on Cordier et al. (2015) by A. Moore. Journal of Petrology 58, 391–393, DOI: 10.1093/petrology/egx013
• Garçon M., Sauzéat L., Carlson R.W., Shirey S.B., Simon M., Balter V., Boyet M., 2017. Nitrile, Latex, Neoprene and Vinyl Gloves: A Primary Source of Contamination for Trace Element and Zn Isotopic Analyses in Geological and Biological Samples. Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research 41, 367–380, DOI: 10.1111/ggr.12161

2016

• Cordier C., Sauzéat L., Arndt N.T., Boullier A.-M., Batanova V., Barou F., 2016. The Geochemical Complexity of Kimberlite Rocks and their Olivine Populations: a Reply to the Comment on Cordier et al.(2015) by Andrea Giuliani & Stephen F. Foley. Journal of Petrology 57, 927–932, DOI: 10.1093/petrology/egw027

2015

• Sauzéat L., Rudnick R., Chauvel C., Gar on M., Tang M., 2015. New perspectives on the Li isotopic composition of the upper continental crust and its weathering signature. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 428, 181–192, DOI: 10.1016/j.epsl.2015.07.032
• Cordier C., Sauzéat L., Arndt N.T., Boullier A.-M., Batanova V., Barou F., 2015. Metasomatism of the Lithospheric Mantle Immediately Precedes Kimberlite Eruption: New Evidence from Olivine Composition and Microstructures. Journal of Petrology 56, 1775–1796, DOI: 10.1093/petrology/egv054

Rang B et C :

[Publications nom= »Sauzeat » prenom= »Lucie » rang= »Rang B-C »]

2019

• Sauzéat L., Bernard E., Perret-Liaudet A., Quadrio I., Vighetto A., Krolak-Salmon P., Broussolle E., Leblanc P., Balter V., Interdisciplinary Case Study: Geochemistry meets the clinic in search for a metal ALS biomarker; iScience, 25, 531-535

National & International Conferences :

2022

• June – Cities on Volcanoes (COV) Conference, Heraklion Crete, Sauzéat L., Eychenne J., Gurioli L., Boyet M., Jessop D.E., Moretti R., Monrose M., Holota H., Beaudoin C., Volle D.H., Metallome deregulation & health-related impacts due to long-term exposure to volcanic ash – Oral presentation
• January – Sustainability Science Days, IRD, France – Sauzéat L. Health in volcanic settings, what are the risks? An integrated viewpoint in a sustainability science approach – Oral presentation

2021

• Nov. – Regional workshop, CIR 4, CAP 20-25 – Clermont-Ferrand, France – Sauzéat L., Eychenne J., Gurioli L., Boyet M., Jessop D.E., Moretti R., Monrose M., Holota H., Beaudoin C., Volle D.H., Volcanic pollution & Health – Oral presentation
• July – Invited Talk – Goldschmidt conference – Lyon, France / Sauzéat L., Volle D., Beaudoin C., Boyet M. Volcanic ash & health: Where is the risk? New chemical and isotopic approach – Oral presentation
• June – Regional Workshop: Impact of environmental pollutants on human health – Clermont-Ferrand, France / Sauzéat L., Volle D., Beaudoin C., Boyet M. Volcanic ash & health: New chemical and isotopic approach – Oral presentation

2019

• August – Goldschmidt conference – Barcelona, Spain / Béziat P., Bouchet S., Sauzéat L., Tolu J., Alcolombri U., Winkel l. The role of phytoplankton in marine Se cycling – poster presentation
• April – Invited Talk – Integrative Human Evolution Symposium (IHES) – Zürich, Switzerland / Sauzéat L., Bernard E., Perret-Liaudet A., Quadrio I., Broussolle E., Leblanc P., Balter V. Ageing & Neurodegenerative diseases: New constraints from the Metallomic – Oral presentation

2018

• September – Invited Talk – Ortho-Analytik Laboratory – Wallisellen, Switzerland / Sauzéat L. Metal stable isotopes: New approach from geochemistry to medicine – Oral presentation
• September – 2nd European ICP-QQQ Forum, Agilent – Munich, Germany
• March – International Medical Geology Association (IMGA) – Veyrier du Lac, France / Sauzéat L., Bernard E., Perret-Liaudet A., Quadrio I., Vighetto A., Krolak-Salmon P., Broussolle E., Leblanc P., Balter V. Isotopic evidence for disrupted copper metabolism in cerebrospinal fluids of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis patients – Oral presentation

2017

• September – New Views on Aging – Paris, France / Sauzéat L., Jha P., Laurençon A., Auwerx J., Balter V. Aging: New constraints from chemical proxies – Oral presentation
• August – Goldschmidt conference – Paris, France / Sauzéat L., Jha P., Laurençon A., Auwerx J., Balter V. An isotope metallomic perspective on aging – Oral presentation

2016

• November– Doctorate congress – Lyon, France / Sauzéat L., Balter V., Bernard E., Perret-Liaudet A., Quadrio I., Leblanc P., Broussolle E. Neurodegenerative diseases: New constraints from Cu and Zn cerebrospinal fluids compositions – Oral Presentation

2015

• August – Goldschmidt conference – Prague, Czech Republic

2014

• December – AGU conference – San Francisco, USA / Sauzéat L., Rudnick R. L., Chauvel. Li isotopic composition and concentration of the upper continental crust (UCC): New insights provided by desert loess – Poster presentation

• April – EGU conference– Vienna, Austria / Cordier C., Sauzéat L., Arndt N.T., Boullier A.-M. Olivine in kimberlites: metasomatism of the deep lithospheric mantle – Oral presentation

• March – IMA (International Mineralogical Association) conference / Arndt N.T., Cordier C., Sauzéat L., Boullier A.-M. Olivine in kimberlites: lithospheric versus shallow processes – Oral presentation

2013

• August – Goldschmidt conference – Florence, Italy / Sauzéat L., Cordier C., Arndt N.T., Boullier A.-M. How kimberlites form: clues from olivine geochemistry – Poster presentation