News

Following the discovery of wild animal carcasses in the Gouessant estuary, the Ministry of Agriculture requested that ANSES determine the causes of their death. In view of all the available data, the hypothesis of poisoning by hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is the most probable, although it is impossible to confirm whether this was the only factor contributing to this case of mass mortality. ANSES recommends further studies and emphasises that the health issues associated with the decomposition of green algae and the production of H2S on mudflats call for an investigation into the gas emissions from estuary bottoms and some river beds.

Formamide is classified as a reprotoxic substance (1B) under the terms of European regulations (1). At the end of 2010, when it was shown to be present in foam puzzle mats intended for young children, France's Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) suspended all marketing of these items. At the same time, it asked ANSES to carry out an expert assessment of the hazards associated with this substance, to identify its uses in common consumer goods and to assess the risks related to its presence in puzzle mats. The Agency issued a preliminary report in March 2011 and has today published an Opinion and a Collective Expert Assessment Report on the uses of formamide in common consumer goods and, more specifically, on the risks related to the presence of this substance in foam puzzle mats.

As of 22 June 2011, cases of bloody diarrhoea and haemolytic-uraemic syndrome (HUS) occurred in adults, mostly women, in the Bordeaux area. These people were infected by a strain of Escherichia coli belonging to the serotype O104:H4, a bacterium which is genetically related to that responsible for the epidemic reported in Germany in May 2011. The epidemiological investigation conducted in France quickly identified the source of this contamination as being the consumption of sprouts (fenugreek sprouts in particular) at a local fair in early June. The clustering of the outbreaks in Germany and then in France and the points they have in common (involving the same strain of bacteria, rarely found up to now in cases of food poisoning, and also the same suspected origin of the sprouts) led the investigators to suppose that there was a common source of contamination. A trace-back study, coordinated by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) revealed that there was a link with the consumption of seeds imported from Egypt (report published on 5 July 2011)(1).

Just like the quality of outdoor air, the quality of air inside buildings is a public health concern. In temperate climates, each person spends an average of 85% of their time in enclosed environments, the majority of that time in the home. In recent years, increasing attention has been paid in France to the quality of indoor air.