The study found an average of 19 pollutants per individual, with some chemicals present across the entire study group of 497 adults.

The findings “unequivocally highlight the simultaneous exposure of the population to numerous different pollutants and set the basis for a more holistic understanding of their combined effect on human health,” the LIH said in a press release.

The researchers chose hair as a way to measure exposure to pollutants, as it allows tracing pollutants over many months, whereas urine or blood samples are much more short-lived.

Many of the pesticides detected were banned in most European countries over the last decades, LIH said, showing that exposure continues as chemicals persist in the environment, such as soil from where they enter the food chain.

Imports from countries with less restrictive pesticide regulations could also be a factor, the LIH said.

“Leveraging our extensive and internationally-renowned expertise in the biomonitoring of pollutants in the hair, we have been able to document for the first time exposure in a large sample of the Luxembourg population, taking into account a variety of additional factors including extended age ranges, gender, socio-demographic aspects and education,” said Brice Appenzeller, who leads the research team.

“The next step will be to exploit our findings to advance our understanding of the repercussions of chronic exposure to a combination of pollutants on population health,” he said.