VUV spectroscopy and mass spectrometry measurements imply that the concentration of neon — an artificially introduced impurity in the Tokamak de Varennes — decreases in the central plasma early in the discharge. The missing atoms are found in the volume between the plasma and the vessel walls. The measured transport coefficients of neon are similar to those of oxygen, and reduced penetration of recycled neon into the hot plasma by the screening effect of the scrape-off layer plasma is postulated to explain its depletion.