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The family of a man who died in 2016 on a Breton beach is suing the French state for failing to do enough to fight deadly algae. His death is probably due to a green alga that releases toxic gases and flooded the northwestern coast due to rising summer temperatures.
In September 2016, Jean-René Auffray went for a jog with his dog on the beach of Hillon, in the bay of Saint-Brieuc in Brittany. He never came home.
Auffray was 50 years old and was in good health. His family found his body in an alga – and they believe that's what killed him.
Decaying algae produce hydrogen sulphide, a highly toxic gas that smells like rotten eggs. Animals and people have become sick or have died over the years after breaking up the dried up upper layers of algae and letting out the toxic gas.
On Thursday, Auffray's brother, wife and three children took legal action claiming 600,000 euros in damages from the state and local authorities for failing to do enough to end the death penalty. green algae that they thought were at the origin of his death.
"He died in a place where the authorities knew that there was a lot of green algae, but they did not do autopsy until it was too late to determine the cause of death, "RFI Hermine Baron, a lawyer working on the case, told RFI. . "It's not normal when a sudden death occurs in places like this, that they have not routinely performed the autopsy."
There are many indications that Auffray died because of the gases emitted by the algae. "From a strictly scientific point of view, we will not have the exact answer," admits Baron. "But we have a lot of corroborating evidence that this was caused by the green algae."
The lawsuit seeks damages, but the lawyer says it's not so much money: "It's a way for them to recognize that their husband, father and their brother died because of the green algae. Above all, they want measures to be taken to prevent this from happening again. "
Green algae plan
The authorities have put in place a plan to fight against the tides of green algae in eight Breton bays. This involves working with farmers to reduce the leaching of nitrates into the water.
The first plan of this type was put in place in 2009, after the death of a horse and the fall of the rider. In 2011, 36 wild boars were found dead, probably poisoned by gas.
Like all plants, green algae grow thanks to nitrogen and nitrates flow into Brittany berries through the rivers that wash away animal waste and intensive livestock fertilizers from pigs in the region.
The Auffray family said that the state had not done enough to regulate agriculture even with the plan relating to green algae. The courts have accepted. The state has appealed a 2018 ruling condemning the metropolitan area of St. Brieuc Armor to pay a fine of 550,000 euros for failing to do enough to prevent green tides in the bay.
The family also blames the city for not warning the public of the dangers of toxic algae.
"There were a lot of signs that this area was toxic, but the general public did not know it," Baron said. "When our victim was jogging, there was no information. The previous mayor had put up a sign, but it was dismantled. "
Killer seaweed
The banks of Hillon are now covered with algae and the beaches are closed, with signs indicating the presence of toxic gases.
The warmer weather than usual has created a perfect storm and the green algae are swamping the city laden with clean beaches. They closed the beaches at the height of the summer holidays.
The only algae treatment plant in the area, which dries and reduces it to dust, closed on July 3, as arrivals were too numerous. Odors and gases were invading workers and residents.
The plant claims to have received 2,000 tonnes of green algae in three days in June, compared to 6,000 tonnes for the whole of 2018.
The algae remain piled on closed beaches.
"The closing of beaches is the only solution they have. This is the absolute sign of helplessness, "says Yves-Marie Le Lay, head of two local groups battling the influx of green algae.
In 2020, activists will mark the 50th anniversary of the first official alert of toxic green algae. The Lay says that little has been done since: "Fifty years later, the only way to fight this plague is to close beaches. It's amazing. We have spent millions of euros to purify water, reduce nitrates in the rivers. It is possible that there is less, but there is still much more than the amount needed to trigger these green tides. "
In 2016, the concentration of nitrates in water was 31.8 milligrams per liter, compared to 51 milligrams per liter fifteen years earlier. But Le Lay says that to really reduce the growth of algae, the water must contain less than 10 milligrams per liter. Current plans provide 15 milligrams by 2027.
New cultivation methods
There is a solution to the problem of green algae: reducing nitrate spills in the water, which means moving away from intensive agriculture.
"The phenomenon of green tides is based on two things: nitrates and light," explains Le Lay. "On these two aspects, we have only one control: nitrates. You can not change the time. "
He would like to see the protected Breton coast as the areas surrounding natural springs like Vittel, in the east of France: "In these areas, there is a perimeter where there is no nitrates."
It does not mean agriculture either, but a different kind.
"At Vittel, there is agriculture. But it's well done because water costs something, "says Le Lay. "Here in Brittany, rivers are considered vain, so we pay for green tides."
According to Baron's lawyer, a change in Breton agriculture will be difficult to achieve: "The state has been campaigning for intensive agriculture in Brittany for years. And now that we have these consequences, it is complicated to reverse the process. There are many economic interests involved. "
But many things are in danger, not just public health.
"If a person simply dies while crossing a river, imagine the state of the fauna and flora in these muddy areas," said Le Lay. Most of the river deltas feeding the Breton berries are nature reserves. Algae threaten them: "Biodiversity is threatened. If entire estuaries are affected, in these areas nothing is alive. Everything is dead. "
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