Killer French Seaweed Caused By Fertilizers & Livestock

A build-up of Seaweed on Brittany's coast is proving very hard to remove, and the gas which the plants produce - after they die - has already been blamed on two almost fatal incidents, but French officials are adamant that there is no real danger to the estimated 9-10 million tourists which visit the north-western province's beaches each year. But environmental groups have countered that this build up of seaweed is actually brought about by the neglect of the surrounding area's farmland, through the overuse of chemicals along with the build up of livestock. This case looks like one of those in-direct aftereffect's which is related to our over-use of chemicals in all aspects of life, and we may begin to see more such issues coming to light over the coming decades if environmentalists have been correct in their general assumptions up to now.

August.12.2009 [FRANCE] by George Valentine Corr, BlatantNews.com Editor

BRITTANY'S GROWING 'SEA LETTUCE' PROBLEM
The French province of Brittany is one of the most scenic places in France, and is one of the most visited parts of the country, mostly due to it's excellent beaches. But those beaches have suffered from a seaweed problem for many years which is not getting any better. It is estimated that the French government - through the local authorities in Brittany - has spent upwards of a billion Euro trying to rid the coastline of the dangerous seaweed which has been building for decades. It has become so widespread that some parts of the sea's edge are now completely inaccessible to visitors, although this may not be noticeable to the throngs of tourists who travel there each summer because the high-value tourist beaches receive the most focus from the authorities regarding this issue. But one incident this month has made the media take a little extra notice. A vet, 27 year old Vincent Petit, had to be dragged unconscious from an area which was covered in sea lettuce after his horse, which he was riding, collapsed and died from inhaling the hydrogen sulphide fumes that had accumulated under a metre thick layer of dead sea lettuce. He managed to crawl for a bit before the fumes got to him too, but thankfully he is ok now, and he is threatening to sue the local authorities over his ordeal. Another suspected case - a council worker who was taken from a beach unconscious - was treated at a local hospital, and there are possibly unreported cases too. Many of the locals now believe that the French authorities have failed to deal with this issue and while it is unclear exactly how much of the coastline is affected - the BBC mentions 3 definites, and The Telegraph says up to 100 - the danger these plants present is most certainly growing by the year.

WHAT THE ENVIRONMENTALISTS SAY
The 'Eau et Rivières' environmental group seems to be taking the activist lead with this issue, and they have been busy talking to many media outlets this past week, repeating the same mantra. They say that there is a pig for every three inhabitants in Brittany, and the province itself only makes up about 5% of the countries agricultural land but has 60% of the pigs, 45% of the poultry and 30% of the dairy farms. Drastic statistics by any standards, but what irks the environmental group mostly, is the nitrates which are being used to fertilise the land for the livestock. Eau et Rivières believe that the high level of nitrates in the local environment, along with the excretions of the livestock itself, is what is creating this build-up of sea lettuce, which will eventually die on the beaches of Brittany. When it is alive it is safe, but after it dies and rots it then forms a hard crust, under which a layer a harmful gas called hydrogen sulphide forms. This crust can be broken quite easily, so when a person steps on it, and their foot goes through it, they will let out some of the fatal gas without knowing it. Some scientists say the gas itself is as dangerous as cyanide and can kill you in minutes, so that is a little worrying, and the locals are beginning to find their voice on this subject. Minor public marches and protests are beginning to take place and the people involved are demanding that the national government set up an early-warning-system in Brittany to warn the public of high levels of gasses when necessary. They are also demanding that the government change the farming practices in Brittany by reducing nitrates and turning to more sustainable methods of agriculture. I doubt very much that Sarkozy will grant those wishes, but this problem will help to build the environmentalists' case against agri-chemicals nonetheless.

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http://www.blatantnews.com/news/killer_french_seaweed_caused_by_fertilizers.html